Figure 1.

Ion channels in the pain pathway modulate by LPA. Noxious stimuli that include LPA, are transduced through nociceptors in the free termini (C and Aδ fibers) to dorsal horn neurons localized in the spinal cord. Finally, the signals travel to the brain where they are decodified. Ion channels such as TRPV1, ASIC, and P2X are activated by these stimuli producing membrane depolarization. Then, voltage-gated ion channels (Nav, Kv) and two pore domain potassium channels (K₂P) are activated and the action potential is propagated along the axon. Finally, membrane depolarization activates voltage-gated calcium channels (Cav) leading to the release of excitatory molecules at the synapses. Ion channels modulated by LPA are shown with red letters (Modified from Waxman and Zamponi, 2014).