Voltage-gated potassium channels and trigeminal neuralgia / 第二军医大学学报

Voltage-gated potassium channels regulate cell membrane potential and excitability in neurons. Trigeminal ganglion as a primary sensory neuron plays an important role in the pain transduction and transmission of trigeminal neuralgia. Trigeminal ganglion neurons express many subtypes of voltage-gated potassium channels and they can evoke different type of K+ current when activated. The alteration of voltage-gated potassium channels and their interaction with neurotransmitters, inflammatory cytokines and receptors play important roles in the development of trigeminal neuralgia.