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Updated: Jan 11, 2026

Modified Spared Nerve Injury Surgery Model of Neuropathic Pain in Mice
Published on: January 25, 2022
Injured SSTR2 + nociceptor axons in neuromas drive chronic spontaneous neuropathic pain
Abstract:
Spontaneous pain is a very common but poorly understood consequence of peripheral nerve injury. We developed a system for measuring spontaneous pain-related behaviors in mice over months, which revealed that limb flicks-emerging predominantly 2 months post-injury-reflect spontaneous pain, and that neuromas are the drivers of this component of neuropathic pain. In vivo dorsal root ganglion imaging showed that small-diameter sensory neurons are the source of spontaneous ectopic neuroma activity and are different from the intact neurons that drive stimulus-evoked pain. Cell-specific optogenetic stimulation studies identified that injured SSTR2 + sensory axons in neuromas are the triggers of spontaneous limb flicks/neuropathic pain. These findings reveal the mechanisms of spontaneous neuropathic pain and open new therapeutic opportunities.
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