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The Sciatic Nerve Cuffing Model of Neuropathic Pain in Mice
Published on: July 16, 2014
Differential recruitment of endogenous pain inhibitory systems in neuropathic pain patients
Nanna Witting1, Peter Svensson, Troels Staehelin Jensen
1Department of Neurology and Danish Pain Research Center, Aarhus University Hospital, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. nanna@akhphd.au.dk
Abstract:
Neuronal hyperexcitability is a key finding in patients with neuropathic pain. Contributing to hyperexcitability may be decreased activity in the endogenous pain inhibitory systems. The present study aimed at recruiting descending inhibition, by the use of painful heterotopic stimulation (HTS), in 16 patients with peripheral chronic neuropathic pain and associated brush-evoked allodynia. Two experiments were performed: one examined the effect of HTS on ongoing pain and intensity of brush-evoked allodynia and the other tested the effect of HTS on ongoing pain and area of brush-evoked allodynia. Both experiments consisted of two sessions, one with painful cold HTS (1 degrees C water bath) another with non-painful neutral HTS (32 degrees C water bath). The area of brush-evoked allodynia was significantly reduced (P=0.003) during painful HTS, as compared to non-painful HTS. In contrast, neither the intensity of brush-evoked allodynia nor the ongoing pain was significantly changed. The results indicate that endogenous pain modulating systems can alter some aspects of chronic neuropathic brush-evoked allodynia. The differential effect of painful HTS on ongoing pain and area of brush-evoked allodynia suggest that separate mechanisms are involved.
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