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Future Treatment for Peripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy refers to a condition where the nerves that relay information between your extremities and your spinal cord begin to break down. There are a variety of other disorders that cause peripheral neuropathy, some of which are incurable. Scientists are currently pursuing several approaches that might lead in the future to viable new treatments.

  1. Current Treatment

    • Generally the most effective treatment involves correcting the underlying problem. If a toxic agent is the culprit, you need to minimize your exposure. Sometimes nutritional deficiencies are at fault; in these cases adjusting diet or intake of vitamins and nutrients may be effective. For hereditary disorders and conditions like diabetes, however, curing the underlying problem may be impossible. Peripheral neuropathy can often cause irreversible permanent damage. Given that there are so many areas of ongoing research--all of which face their own unique challenges--it's not entirely clear yet what future treatment will look like, although scientists are pursuing a variety of different approaches.

    Future Treatment-Genetics

    • Some cases of peripheral neuropathy result from hereditary genetic disorders like Charcot-Marie-Toth disease. Researchers are investigating the genetics of hereditary diseases like Marie-Charcot-Toth to learn which genes are involved and identify more effective approaches to patients with these hereditary genetic conditions.

    Future Treatment-Autoimmune Disorders

    • Some cases of peripheral neuropathy are caused by autoimmune disorders where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own cells. Often these conditions are treatable although not curable; chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, for example, is an autoimmune-related neuropathy often treated with corticosteroids that help suppress the immune system. Improving treatment of autoimmune disorders may require new drugs that modify the immune system's behavior to protect healthy cells. Sometimes viruses and bacteria cause peripheral neuropathy by attacking nerve tissue; herpes varicella-zoster virus(shingles), for example, can damage sensory nerves. Scientists are working on better antiviral drugs to treat these infections.

    Future Treatment-Neurotrophic Factors

    • Neurotrophic factors are proteins secreted by cells that promote the survival and growth of neurons; they play a key role in early development. Some researchers hope that treating damaged nerves with neurotrophic factors could help them regrow and reverse earlier damage. This would represent a significant advance by making it possible to regenerate lost nerve tissue.

    Future Treatment-Stem Cells

    • Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can give rise to any type of cell in the body. Stem cells can be found in blastocysts (early stage embryos); there are also stem cells in adult tissue (adult stem cells), although these have some other limitations. Some scientists have found ways to reprogram normal adult cells into stem cells. Regardless of the source, stem cell transplants could someday make it possible to replace damaged nerve cells and restore lost function.

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