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Related Concept Videos

Analgesia and Pain Management01:25

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...
Pain01:20

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...
Local Anesthetics: Differential Sensitivity of Nerve Fibers01:24

Local Anesthetics: Differential Sensitivity of Nerve Fibers

Local anesthetics (LAs) block the sodium channels of nerve trunks, sensory nerve endings, and neuromuscular junctions. Although LAs can block all kinds of nerves, the sensitivity of nerve fibers differs according to nerve types and structures. LAs are known to block myelinated fibers faster than unmyelinated ones. Also, they block pain or sensory neurons at low concentrations without affecting the motor neurons involved in muscle contractions. This helps relieve labor pain without affecting the...
Nociception01:44

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 28, 2026

Establishing a Mouse Model of a Pure Small Fiber Neuropathy with the Ultrapotent Agonist of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid Type 1
09:39

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Published on: February 13, 2018

Functional exploration for neuropathic pain.

J Maarrawi1, P Mertens, R Peyron

  • 1(Faculty of Medicine) and Hôtel-Dieu de France Hospital (Department of Neurosurgery), St Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon.

Advances and Technical Standards in Neurosurgery
|October 15, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Neuropathic pain (NP) assessment uses functional neuroimaging and electrophysiology to explore pain pathways. Motor Cortex Stimulation (MCS) for refractory NP activates endogenous opioid release, explaining its analgesic effects.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pain Medicine
  • Neurosurgery

Background:

  • Neuropathic pain (NP) can be refractory to medical treatments, requiring neurosurgical intervention.
  • Understanding NP pathophysiology is crucial for effective neurosurgical management.
  • Advances in functional exploration aid in understanding NP mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review functional neuroimaging and electrophysiological techniques for assessing neuropathic pain.
  • To explore the mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain and its treatment.
  • To elucidate the role of endogenous opioids and brain opioid receptors in NP.

Main Methods:

  • Review of functional exploration techniques for NP, including flexion reflex studies, evoked potentials (LEP, SEP), PET scans, and fMRI.
  • Analysis of brain activity (rCBF) and opioid receptor (OR) availability in NP patients.
  • Investigation of Motor Cortex Stimulation (MCS) effects on endogenous opioid secretion.

Main Results:

  • Functional neuroimaging and electrophysiology confirm somatosensory pathway dysfunction in NP.
  • Chronic NP shows decreased resting rCBF in the thalamus, potentially reversible with treatment.
  • Allodynia is linked to amplified thalamic responses and decreased ACC rCBF.
  • Endogenous opioid secretion occurs in response to pain, with OR availability differing between peripheral and central NP.
  • MCS induces endogenous opioid secretion, correlating with analgesic efficacy.

Conclusions:

  • Functional exploration provides valuable insights into NP pathophysiology.
  • Understanding brain activity and opioid receptor changes is key to managing NP.
  • MCS is an effective treatment for refractory NP, likely mediated by endogenous opioid release.