Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026

07:09
The Sciatic Nerve Cuffing Model of Neuropathic Pain in Mice
Published on: July 16, 2014
Neurotrophic influences on neuropathic pain
Stephen B McMahon1, William B J Cafferty
1Centre for Neuroscience Research, King's College London, Guy's Campus, Hodgkin Building, London SE1 1UL, UK.
Summary
Neuropathic pain, resulting from nerve damage, causes severe burning sensations and heightened sensitivity to touch. This review explores underlying mechanisms and the potential of neurotrophic factors for treating this debilitating pain.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pain Research
- Peripheral Nerve Injury
Background:
- Peripheral nerve damage from trauma or disease often leads to neuropathic pain.
- Patients experience spontaneous burning pain and allodynia (pain from non-painful stimuli).
- Neuropathic pain is frequently persistent, debilitating, and poorly responsive to conventional analgesics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the pathophysiological mechanisms of neuropathic pain.
- To emphasize the therapeutic potential of neurotrophic factors in managing neuropathic pain.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on neuropathic pain.
- Focus on neurotrophic factor involvement in pain pathways.
Main Results:
- Neuropathic pain involves complex molecular and cellular changes in damaged nerves.
- Neurotrophic factors play a critical role in nerve survival, regeneration, and modulation of pain signaling.
Conclusions:
- Understanding neuropathic pain mechanisms is crucial for developing effective treatments.
- Neurotrophic factors represent a promising therapeutic avenue for neuropathic pain management.
Related Concept Videos
Nociception
Nociception—the ability to feel pain—is essential for an organism’s survival and overall well-being. Noxious stimuli such as piercing pain from a sharp object, heat from an open flame, or contact with corrosive chemicals are first detected by sensory receptors, called nociceptors, located on nerve endings. Nociceptors express ion channels that convert noxious stimuli into electrical signals. When these signals reach the brain via sensory neurons, they are perceived as pain. Thus, pain helps the...
Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters
When an action potential reaches the presynaptic axon terminal, it releases neurotransmitters from the neuron into the synaptic cleft at a chemical synapse. The released neurotransmitter can be excitatory or inhibitory. The critical criteria commonly used to determine whether a molecule is a neurotransmitter at a chemical synapse are the molecule's presence in the presynaptic neuron. Second, its release is in response to strong presynaptic depolarization. And lastly, the presence of specific...
Local Anesthetics: Adverse Effects
While local anesthetics are generally safe and well-tolerated, they can occasionally cause adverse effects that vary in severity. Local anesthetics can induce toxicity at two distinct levels. They can either produce local effects through direct contact with the neural elements or be absorbed into the bloodstream from the injection site, leading to systemic effects.
Once absorbed into the systemic circulation, local anesthetics can affect the organs that depend on the functioning of sodium...
Once absorbed into the systemic circulation, local anesthetics can affect the organs that depend on the functioning of sodium...
Analgesia and Pain Management
Pain is critical to various clinical pathologies, provoking an urgent need for effective management. Pain, whether acute or chronic, is a complex neurochemical process. Its alleviation depends on the type, with nonopioid analgesics effective for mild to moderate pain, such as musculoskeletal or inflammatory pain, while neuropathic pain responds best to anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, or serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. For severe acute or chronic pain, opioids may be...
Pain
Pain serves as a critical warning signal that alerts the body to potential or actual harm. When mechanical pressure on the skin is intense, such as from a sharp pinch, the sensation transitions from touch to pain. Similarly, extreme temperatures, like a hot pot handle, convert the sensation of heat into pain. Pain can also result from overstimulation of other senses, such as blinding light, loud noise, or the intense heat from habañero peppers. This ability to sense pain is essential for...
Diabetic Neuropathy
DefinitionDiabetic neuropathy is nerve damage caused by long-standing diabetes mellitus. It results directly from prolonged high blood sugar levels.PathophysiologyThe pathophysiology of diabetic neuropathy involves both metabolic and vascular disturbances triggered by chronic hyperglycemia.Metabolic injury: Elevated glucose levels activate the polyol pathway within nerve cells, leading to the accumulation of sorbitol and fructose. This increases oxidative stress, disrupts normal nerve...

