Central pain in a hemispherectomized patient.

We have examined a hemispherectomized patient who complained of touch-evoked pricking and burning pain in her paretic hand, especially when the hand was cold. Psychophysical examination showed that for the paretic side she confused cool and warm temperatures, and confirmed that she had a robust allodynia to brush stroking that was enhanced at a cold ambient temperature. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) showed that during brush-evoked allodynia, brain structures implicated in normal pain processing (viz. posterior part of the anterior cingulate cortex, secondary somatosensory cortex, and prefrontal cortices) were activated. The fMRI findings thus indicate that the central pain in this patient was served by brain structures implicated in normal pain processing. Possible pathophysiological mechanisms include plasticity as well as thalamic disinhibition.     

鸡血藤总黄酮对坐骨神经损伤大鼠机械痛敏影响的实验研究

目的：研究鸡血藤总黄酮对坐骨神经损伤（chronic constriction injury of the sciatic,CCI）大鼠机械痛敏和脊髓谷氨酸含量的影响。方法40只大鼠随机均分为4组：对照组（腹腔注射生理盐水,不手术）、假手术组（分离坐骨神经但不结扎+腹腔注射生理盐水）、模型组（坐骨神经结扎+腹腔注射生理盐水）、鸡血藤总黄酮处理组（坐骨神经结扎+腹腔注射鸡血藤总黄酮20 g/kg）,连续给药4周。运用机械缩足反射阈值检测术后3、7、10、14、21、28 d大鼠机械痛敏。运用高效液相法测定大鼠术后14、28 d脊髓背角中谷氨酸的含量。结果与模型组比较,处理组术后第10、14、21、28天的机械缩足反射阈值明显升高（P＜0.05,或P＜0.01）;在第14天及第28天观测到鸡血藤总黄酮可显著降低大鼠脊髓背角谷氨酸的含量（P＜0.01）。结论鸡血藤总黄酮可减轻神经病理性痛大鼠的机械痛敏,其机制可能与降低脊髓背角谷氨酸的含量有关。     

脊髓小胶质细胞激活对SNI模型大鼠神经病理性疼痛的影响

目的观察小胶质细胞对大鼠坐骨神经分支选择性损伤(SNI)所致神经病理性疼痛的影响。方法选择雄性SD大鼠64只,随机分为4组(n=16):假手术组(Sh组);模型组(SNI组);模型 米诺环素40mg/kg组(Mb组);模型 米诺环素10mg/kg组(Ms组)。其中Mb和Ms组从造模前1d起连续7d每日2次腹腔注射相应剂量的米诺环素。分别记录全组动物在术前1d及术后1,3,5,7,14d的机械缩足反射阈值(MWT)和热缩足反射持续时间(TWD)作为大鼠疼痛行为学指标;各组大鼠分别在术后1,3,5,7,14d随机选取4只处死,取脊髓,用免疫荧光的方法检测脊髓小胶质细胞标志物OX-42的表达。结果SNI组从术后1d起即出现明显MWT降低和TWD延长,与术前及Sh组术后各时点比较均有统计学差异(P<0.05);Mb组和Ms组与SNI组相应时点比较MWT降低和TWD延长程度有显著性差异(P<0.05);Mb与Ms组比较MWT降低和TWD延长程度有统计学差异(P<0.05);Mb、Ms组与SNI组比较脊髓OX-42的表达减少,并呈剂量依赖性。结论米诺环素腹腔注射可剂量依赖性的减少OX-42的表达,抑制脊髓小胶质细胞的激活,减轻痛觉超敏和痛觉过敏,提示小胶质细胞的活化参与SNI神经病理痛的形成。     

短时程脊髓电刺激治疗爆发痛合并触诱发痛的急性期带状疱疹的临床研究

目的探讨短时程脊髓电刺激(temporary spinal cord stimulation, tSCS)治疗爆发痛合并触诱发痛的急性期带状疱疹的临床疗效。方法回顾性地分析同济大学附属第十人民医院疼痛科2020年1月—2020年12月收治的52例接受tSCS治疗的爆发痛合并触诱发痛的急性期带状疱疹患者的临床资料,评估在治疗前、治疗后3d、7d、14d、3个月、6个月的总体疼痛情况(numerical rating scale, NRS)评分、(simple McGill scores, McGill)评分、爆发痛情况(发生率、NRS评分、次数以及持续时间)、触诱发痛情况(发生率、分级)、术后不良反应等;评估在治疗前、治疗后7d、3个月、6个月的睡眠时长、睡眠中醒来次数、疼痛障碍指数(pain disorder index, PDI)、功能状态评分(Karnofsky score, KPS)、抑郁症筛查量表(patient health questionnaire depression module scale, PHQ-9)和焦虑症筛查量表(generalized anxiety disorder-7 scale, GAD-7)等。结果与治疗前相比,治疗后3d、7d、14d、3个月、6个月的总体疼痛NRS评分、总体疼痛MCGILL评分、静息痛NRS评分明显降低(均P<0.001);与治疗前相比,治疗后3d、7d、14d、3个月、6个月的的爆发痛NRS评分明显降低(均P<0.05),治疗后14d、3个月、6个月时的爆发痛次数以及持续时间都明显降低(均P<0.05);与治疗前比较,患者治疗后7d、14d、3个月、6个月时的触诱发痛的分级都明显降低,差异均有统计学意义(均P<0.05);与治疗前相比,治疗后14d、3个月、6个月的PDI评分明显降低(P<0.05);与治疗前相比,治疗后14d、3个月、6个月的PHQ-9评分和GAD-7评分都明显减少(P<0.05),与术前的药物使用情况相比,治疗后各镇痛药使用人数普遍呈下降趋势;术中及整个随访期间未观察到严重不良事件。结论短时程脊髓电刺激对爆发痛合并触诱发痛的急性期带状疱疹具有较好的临床疗效。     

Migraine,allodynia, and implications for treatment

Allodynia – perception of pain from non‐noxious stimuli – is a common clinical feature in various pain syndromes. The significance for migraine has increasingly been recognized and the pathophysiology has been investigated in detail. Allodynia is a marker for sensitization of central trigeminal neurons. Intensity and persistence of allodynic symptoms are a function of duration of migraine attacks, frequency of attacks, and migraine history. It has been hypothesized that treatment success with triptans may be severely impaired in the presence of allodynia. However, randomized controlled trials did not confirm that. Treatment with cyclooxygenase inhibitors and dihydroergotamine does not seem to be limited by allodynia; these medications may be able to reverse allodynia. Data on the new class of calcitonin‐gene related‐peptide antagonists are not yet available. Additional and more refined randomized controlled trials, focusing on methodological issues pertaining to the determination of allodynia, are warranted to resolve the true relationship between allodynia and treatment response. Regardless – based on available randomized controlled trials – the recommendation prevails to initiate abortive treatment as soon as possible after attack onset when pain is still mild.     

Causalgia—reflex sympathetic dystrophy—sympathetically maintained pain: Myth and reality

Causalgia, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, and sympathetically maintained pain (SMP) are a complex group of disorders, with symptoms of spontaneous/stimulus-induced pain and vasomotor, sudomotor or skeletomotor dysfunction of the involved area. Sympatholysis has been recommended for diagnosis/classification and treatment of these patients. Lack of adequate placebo control makes the physiologic response to this intervention unclear. Sensitization of wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons in the central nociceptive pathway has been proposed as a key element in pathophysiologic mechanisms of these disorders. Low threshold mechanoreceptors and nociceptors have been implicated as the primary afferents transmitting signals to or maintaining sensitization of WDR neurons in SMP. Vasomotor disturbances may result from antidromic vasodilatation, vasoparafytic dilatation, normal somatosympathetic reflexes, and denervation supersensitivity. There is conflicting information regarding the use of phentolamine and clonidine in these pain syndromes. Treatment of these patients remains a challenge given the many potential underlying mechanisms. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Pharmacokinetics of vanillin and its effects on mechanical hypersensitivity in a rat model of neuropathic pain

The analgesic effects of vanillin on neuropathic pain was evaluated using thermal sensitivity and mechanical allodynia using the sciatic nerve constriction model (n = 30 rats). To determine the pharmacokinetics of vanillin, rats (n = 6/administration route) received either 20 or 100 mg/kg of vanillin i.v. and p.o., respectively. For the pharmacodynamic study, baseline levels for hyperalgesia and allodynia were taken for 5 days prior to surgery. Following surgery each group (n = 6 rats/group) received either vanillin (50 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg), morphine (2 mg/kg or 6 mg/kg) or the vehicle only. Pharmacokinetic results following p.o. administrations are C_max 290.24 ng/mL, T_max 4 h, relative clearance 62.17 L/h/kg and T_1/2 10.3 h. The bioavailability is 7.6%. Mechanical allodynia was decreased on treatment days 1, 2, 3, 5 (p < 0.003) and not on day 4 (p > 0.02) with 50 mg/kg vanillin, whereas at 100 mg/kg p.o. a decrease was noted only on days 7 and 8 (p < 0.003). No effect on hyperalgesia was seen following vanillin administration. In conclusion, vanillin is bioavailable and seems to have an alleviating effect on mechanical allodynia, and not on hyperalgesia, when evaluated with a chronic constriction nerve injury rat model of neuropathic pain. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Local application of capsaicin alleviates mechanical hyperalgesia after spinal nerve transection

Whether modulation of C afferent fiber activities could relieve peripheral neuropathic pain was tested. After establishment of neuropathic pain induced by L5 and 6 spinal nerve transection (SNT), the sciatic nerve was treated with 2% capsaicin at the level of the midthigh. Mechanical hyperalgesia (von Frey filaments) was significantly alleviated from 7 days to 4 weeks after capsaicin treatment, but cold allodynia (acetone) was unchanged. Immunohistochemical studies showed a significant increase in the number of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-positive neurons, but not TRPV1-positive neurons in intact L4 dorsal root ganglia after SNT. Capsaicin treatment decreased TRPV1- and CGRP-positive neurons in L4 DRG of the treated side, but not the opposite side. These results suggest that local application of capsaicin onto the sciatic nerve can alleviate mechanical hyperalgesia, but not cold allodynia, in a peripheral neuropathic pain model and the pain alleviation may result from a decrease of TRPV1- and CGRP-positive sensory neurons of which fibers pass through the sciatic nerve.     

Spinal nerve ligation-induced activation of nuclear factor kappaB is facilitated by prostaglandins in the affected spinal cord and is a critical step in the development of mechanical allodynia

This study investigated the effect of 5th and 6th lumbar nerve (L5/L6) spinal nerve ligation (SNL) on activated nuclear factor kappaB (NFkBa) in nuclear extracts from the lumbar dorsal horn of the rat, and its relationship to prostaglandin (PG)-dependent spinal hyperexcitability and allodynia 3 days later. Male Sprague-Dawley rats, fitted with intrathecal (i.t.) catheters, underwent SNL- or sham-surgery. Paw withdrawal threshold (PWT), electromyographic analysis of the biceps femoris flexor reflex, and immunoblotting of the spinal cord were used. Both allodynia (PWT allodynia 3 days later. R(-)-Ibuprofen and vehicle had no effect. These results demonstrate that NFkappaB is not only activated by SNL, but that spinal PG generated in the affected spinal cord from the onset of nerve injury facilitates this process. NFkappaB is a critical antecedent in the development of spinal PG-dependent hyperexcitability and allodynia in the SNL model.