Contralateral High or a Combination of High- and Low-Frequency Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Reduces Mechanical Allodynia and Alters Dorsal Horn Neurotransmitter Content in Neuropathic Rats

The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of 3 different application strategies for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on neuropathy-induced allodynia and dorsal horn neurotransmitter content. Rats were treated with high-frequency, low-frequency, or a combination of high and low-frequency stimulation. TENS was delivered through self-adhesive electrodes daily for 1 hour to rats with a right-sided chronic constriction injury (CCI). Stimulation was delivered to skin or acupuncture points on the left and mechanical and thermal pain thresholds were assessed in the right hind paw. Neurotransmitter content was assessed bilaterally in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Daily, high-frequency or a combination of high- and low-frequency TENS reduced mechanical (P < .001), but not thermal allodynia in the right hind paw when compared with untreated CCI rats. Daily high frequency TENS elevated the dorsal horn synaptosomal content of GABA bilaterally (P < .014) and a combination of high- and low-frequency TENS elevated the dorsal horn content of aspartate (P < .001), glutamate (P < .001) and glycine (P < .001) bilaterally over that seen in untreated CCI rats. The present findings support a contralateral approach to the application of TENS and suggest that distinct strategies for TENS application may differentially alter neurotransmission in the central nervous system.PerspectiveBecause CCI rats are reminiscent of humans with neuropathy, daily high or a combination of high- and low-frequency TENS may reduce mechanical allodynia in humans with neuropathic pain. Because the 2 intervention strategies produce distinctive alterations in spinal cord neurotransmitter content, each may represent a distinctive option for treatment.