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Published on: July 16, 2014
Xenon-induced changes in CNS sensitization to pain
Oliver Adolph1, Sarah Köster, Michael Georgieff
1Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital of Ulm, Steinhoevelstrasse 9, Ulm, Germany. oliver.adolph@uniklinik-ulm.de
Neuroimage
|August 26, 2009
Summary
This study investigated pain sensitization in the human brain using functional MRI. Xenon, a glutamate receptor antagonist, reduced brain activity associated with pain, demonstrating its role in central nervous system sensitization.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pain Research
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Pain sensitizes the central nervous system via glutamate receptor-dependent long-term potentiation (LTP), enhancing pain perception.
- Previous studies relied on animal electrophysiology; human brain system-level investigation was needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate pain-related central nervous system sensitization in humans using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
- To monitor modulation of somatosensory processing during inhibition of excitatory transmission using xenon, a glutamate receptor antagonist.
- To correlate brain activity changes with behavioral and perfusion data.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) imaging, and perfusion imaging were used in humans.
- Repeated electrical stimulation and ocular application of xenon were employed.
- Modulation of somatosensory processing and regional perfusion were monitored.
Main Results:
- BOLD responses in the insular and sensory cortices increased under placebo but decreased under xenon treatment.
- Xenon-induced decreases in regional perfusion correlated with xenon concentrations and scaled with stimulus intensity.
- Behavioral, fMRI, and perfusion data changes scaled with stimulus intensity.
Conclusions:
- Glutamate receptor-dependent long-term potentiation (LTP) processes, known at the cellular level, can be investigated at the brain systems level.
- Pain sensitization involves a multistage process dependent on pre-activation, characteristic of LTP.
- Xenon effectively inhibits excitatory transmission, offering a tool to study pain mechanisms in the human brain.
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