April 16, 2010 (Albany, N.Y., USA) – The April 2010 issue of Discover includes an article about INTiDYN’s discovery of a hidden sensory system: the nerves regulating blood vessels and sweat glands. This discovery, published in the international journal PAIN in December 2009, suggests that in addition to regulating blood flow and sweating, the central nervous system (CNS) also is constantly monitoring the biochemistry of the microenvironment surrounding blood vessels as small as capillaries and arterioles. Further studies have shown that damage to these particular nerves is indicative of damage to the vessels themselves, and suggest that these “hidden” nerves are essential for the health, integrity, and adaptability of the cardiovascular system. As few studies have been done on the innervation of blood vessels and sweat glands, this finding opens up a whole new area of research and therapeutic promise. For example, it may in part explain why certain cardiovascular conditions are resistant to current treatment modalities which focus solely on the smooth muscle and blood flow of the blood vessels, without protecting their nerves. It may also help to establish a physical rationale for mysterious and painful conditions such as migraine and fibromyalgia, the causes of which are currently uncertain. INTiDYN’s research into this area continues, with investigations of cardiovascular innervations in a number of disease indications.
About Integrated Tissue Dynamics (INTiDYN)
Integrated Tissue Dynamics, LLC, also known as INTiDYN, provides flexible and scalable research capabilities on behalf of pharmaceutical companies to detect chemical and structural changes in the skin that may cause the chronic numbness, pain and itch associated with a wide variety of afflictions such as diabetes, shingles, complex regional pain syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, chemotherapy and even the unintended side effects caused by many drugs. Such afflictions and the associated neurological problems respond poorly to existing treatments.
Contact:
Dr. Frank L. Rice, PhD
frankrice@intidyn.com
8866-610-7581, ext. 102