Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 13, 2026
Acute and Chronic Tactile Sensory Testing after Spinal Cord Injury in Rats
Published on: April 4, 2012
Effects of nicotine on spinal cord injury pain: a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled crossover trial
Elizabeth J Richardson1, J Scott Richards, Christopher C Stewart
1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation , University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
Background:
One factor affecting spinal cord injury (SCI)-related pain may be nicotine. Case reports have described a worsening of neuropathic pain from smoking and relief from abstinence. Neurobiological correlates also implicate the potential effect of nicotine on SCI-related pain.
Method:
The current study employed a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover design to examine the effect of nicotine exposure on subtypes of SCI-related pain among smokers and nonsmokers.
Results:
Whereas nonsmokers with SCI showed a reduction in mixed forms of pain following nicotine exposure, smokers with SCI showed a converse increase in pain with regard to both mixed and neuropathic forms of pain. The exacerbation of pain in chronic nicotine or tobacco users may not only elucidate possible pain mechanisms but may also be of use in smoking cessation counseling among those with SCI.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Drugs Acting on Autonomic Ganglia: Stimulants
Ganglionic stimulants activate NM nicotinic receptors in autonomic ganglia, falling into two categories: nicotine mimetics [e.g., lobeline, dimethylpiperazine, tetramethylammonium] and muscarinic receptor agonists [e.g., muscarine, methacholine]. The first category's action is rapid and blocked by nicotinic receptor antagonists, while the second category's action is delayed and blocked by atropine-like agents. Nicotine, an alkaloid, affects the heart rate by stimulating sympathetic or...
01:14Spinal Cord Injury ll: Pathophysiology