Somatic system articles from across Nature Portfolio

Mechanoneural interfaces combine surgically modified soft tissues and artificial components to enhance peripheral neural signalling for the reconstruction of bionic limbs. This Review discusses different mechanoneural interface architectures and presents preclinical and clinical evidence of their afferent and efferent properties.

Schwann cells associated with most sensory receptors in the skin actively participate in the transduction of mechanical stimuli. Here the authors show that silencing these sensory Schwann cells is sufficient to reduce touch perception and can inhibit mechanical pain in mice.

Cannabinol (CBN) is a promising compound that is suggested as an analgesic. Using electrophysiological techniques, this study determined that CBN inhibits the sodium currents associated with pain signaling, with potential application for neuropathic pain.

An unbiased primary sensory neuron screen identifies the chemotherapeutic agent bortezomib as a potent TRPV1 sensitizer. Such long-term sensitization could lead to axonal death and sensory loss, a major symptom of bortezomib-induced neuropathy.

Electrical stimulation of the neuromuscular system holds promise for therapeutic biomedical applications, but is currently restricted by power. Here, the authors introduce fully implantable resonator-based designs achieving ±20 V compliance and >300 mW output, enabling multichannel, biphasic, current-controlled operation to evoke functional gate patterns for 6-weeks in freely behaving rats.

Neuropod cells in the gut epithelium of mice are sensory transducers for sweet stimuli and mediate the preference for sugar over artificial sweeteners.

Gene replacement therapies have shown remarkable advances recently, including onasemnogene abeparvovec for treatment of symptomatic and presymptomatic patients with spinal muscular atrophy. A recent report by Van Alstyne and colleagues in a mouse model of spinal muscular atrophy raises concerns that such treatment can generate toxic overexpression of SMN protein.

Study demonstrates a crucial role for cold-sensitive, warm-inactivated sensory neurons in the perception of innocuous warmth.

Gut-innervating sensory neurons drive host defensive responses against Salmonella infection in mice.