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[Changes in the somatosensory evoked potentials in patients with amputated limbs with and without phantom pain
V K Reshetniak1, M L Kukushkin, A M Ovechkin
1Laboratory of Pathophysiology of Pain, Institute of Common Pathology and Pathophysiology RAMN, Moscow.
Abstract:
Changes in the somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) were studied in patients with amputated limbs with and without phantom pain syndrome (PPS). Patients with PPS were found to develop hypersynchronous postdischarges following the components of SSEP, the amplitudes of the early components of SSEP (N1, P2, and N2) increase in response to stimulation of the stump nerves and the median nerve on the side of amputation, and EEG shows paroxysmal activity. The results indicate a stable increase of the excitability and reactivity of the central structures of the brain, reflecting the formation of a pathologic algic system in the structures regulating pain sensitivity.