Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Jan-Dec:16:1744806920963809.
doi: 10.1177/1744806920963809.

Schwann cells and trigeminal neuralgia

Jia-Yi Liao  1 , Tian-Hua Zhou  2 , Bao-Kang Chen  3 , Zeng-Xu Liu  4
Affiliations
Review

Schwann cells and trigeminal neuralgia

Jia-Yi Liao et al. Mol Pain. 2020 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

Schwann cells are components of the peripheral nerve myelin sheath, which supports and nourishes axons. Upon injury of the trigeminal nerve, Schwann cells are activated and cause trigeminal neuralgia by engulfing the myelin sheath and secreting various neurotrophic factors. Further, Schwann cells can repair the damaged nerve and thus alleviate trigeminal neuralgia. Here, we briefly describe the development and activation of Schwann cells after nerve injury. Moreover, we expound on the occurrence, regulation, and treatment of trigeminal neuralgia; further, we point out the current research deficiencies and future research directions.

Keywords: P2X receptor; Schwann cells; brain-derived neurotrophic factor; nerve growth factor; trigeminal neuralgia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

    1. Koopman JS, Dieleman JP, Huygen FJ, de Mos M, Martin CG, Sturkenboom MC. Incidence of facial pain in the general population. Pain 2009; 147: 122–127. - PubMed
    1. Maarbjerg S, Gozalov A, Olesen J, Bendtsen L. Concomitant persistent pain in classical trigeminal neuralgia–evidence for different subtypes. Headache 2014; 54: 1173–1183. - PubMed
    1. Sathasivam HP, Ismail S, Ahmad AR, Basri NN, Muhamad H, Mohd Tahir NF, Saw CL, Hj Kipli N, Lau SH. Trigeminal neuralgia: a retrospective multicentre study of 320 Asian patients. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol 2017; 123: 51–57. - PubMed
    1. Marinkovic S, Gibo H, Todorovic V, Antic B, Kovacevic D, Milisavljevic M, Cetkovic M. Ultrastructure and immunohistochemistry of the trigeminal peripheral myelinated axons in patients with neuralgia. Clin Neurol Neurosurg 2009; 111: 795–800. - PubMed
    1. Hall GC, Carroll D, McQuay HJ. Primary care incidence and treatment of four neuropathic pain conditions: a descriptive study, 2002–2005. BMC Fam Pract 2008; 9: 26. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types