Fig. 5

The role of cortical reactive astrocytes in chronic pain. Activated astrocytes in brain regions related to emotion regulation (the S1, ACC, medial prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus) are involved in both pain and pain-related emotional dysfunction. The imbalance between glutamate and GABA due to astrocyte activation in these regions may be one mechanism underlying chronic pain. ACC, anterior cingulate cortex; GAT-3, GABA transporters3; mGluR5, metabotropic glutamate receptor 5; mPFC, the medial prefrontal cortex; S1, somatosensory cortex; TSP-1, thrombospondin 1