“Neuropathy develops clinically in a distal (nerves in the toes, for example) to proximal (nerves in the legs and thighs) manner,” explained Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Emerging Scholar Stephanie Eid, Ph.D. In this study, we found that this clinical presentation (distal-to-proximal) is associated with different gene expression signatures at different injury sites.”
When looking at gene expression profiles, they found that specific pathways related to the body’s defense system, inflammation, or how it processes sugar and fat were similarly disrupted at distal and proximal sites. However, some of these disruptions were unique to specific areas of nerve injury, demonstrating that nerve damage in peripheral neuropathy can vary depending on location. Together, these findings indicate that different nerve locations are associated with unique changes in gene expression, which will ultimately impact mechanism-based therapeutic interventions.