Elevated translocator protein in skull bone marrow is linked to human chronic pain.

Elevated translocator protein levels in skull bone marrow are linked to chronic pain, with increases observed in 250 individuals across different conditions.

• Why it matters: Understanding the role of skull bone marrow in neuroimmune signaling could reveal new mechanisms underlying chronic pain and identify novel therapeutic targets.
• What they did: The study used combined PET/MRI imaging to measure TSPO levels, a marker of immune cell density, in 250 participants, including those with chronic pain conditions and healthy controls.
• The result: Findings show widespread TSPO elevation in the skull bone marrow of chronic pain sufferers, correlating with pain severity and symptoms, suggesting immune dysregulation contributes to chronic pain.