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Mizoguchi Y, Akasaka K, Suzuki K, Kimura F, Hall T, Ogihara S. Association between diabetes, obesity, and quality of life in preoperative patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy: A cross-sectional study. Health Sci Rep 2024; 7:e70005. [PMID: 39170889 PMCID: PMC11335814 DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.70005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2024] [Revised: 07/27/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Background and Aims Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is a debilitating condition characterized by compression of the cervical spinal cord, leading to neurological deficits. This study aimed to investigate the association between comorbidities like diabetes mellitus (DM) and obesity and quality of life (QOL) in preoperative patients with DCM, and to examine the distribution of pain and numbness. Methods A cross-sectional study with 86 preoperative patients with DCM was conducted. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) including Core Outcome Measure Index for the neck (COMI-Neck), Neck Disability Index (NDI), EQ-5D-3L, SF-12v2 assessed QOL, and baseline characteristics were collected. Patients were categorized by diabetic and obesity status, resulting in 17 with and 69 without DM, and 27 obese, 59 nonobese patients. In the statistical analysis, we compared PROMs and baseline characteristics, and conducted MANCOVA to investigate the association of DM and obesity with PROMs. Results The study found no significant differences in preoperative QOL between patients with and without DM or obesity. Additionally, the results of MANCOVA indicated that neither DM nor obesity alone, nor their combination, had an association with the total scores of PROMs. In each group, the Symptom-specific well-being score on the COMI-Neck was notably high, implying distressing current symptoms (median: 10). On the NDI, the median score for pain intensity, lifting, work, and recreation subitems was 3. Pain was predominantly reported in the neck and lower back, while numbness was more prevalent in the peripheral regions of the upper and lower limbs. Conclusion Preoperative QOL was not significantly affected by the presence of DM and/or obesity. DCM-related symptoms may mask the associations with these comorbidities. Regardless of the preoperative condition, it is important to address the PROMs items that posed challenges before surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuaki Mizoguchi
- Saitama Medical University Graduate School of MedicineSaitamaJapan
- Department of RehabilitationKimura Orthopaedic ClinicSaitamaJapan
| | - Kiyokazu Akasaka
- Saitama Medical University Graduate School of MedicineSaitamaJapan
- School of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health and Medical CareSaitama Medical UniversitySaitamaJapan
| | - Kenta Suzuki
- Department of RehabilitationKimura Orthopaedic ClinicSaitamaJapan
| | - Fumihiko Kimura
- Department of RehabilitationKimura Orthopaedic ClinicSaitamaJapan
| | - Toby Hall
- Curtin School of Allied HealthCurtin UniversityPerthAustralia
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Potvin S, Vincenot M, Haroune L, Giguère CÉ, Gendron L, Léonard G, Marchand S. Data-driven dynamic profiles of tonic heat pain perception in pain-free volunteers are associated with differences in anandamide levels. Sci Rep 2024; 14:17238. [PMID: 39060336 PMCID: PMC11282288 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67401-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Our laboratory previously developed a method for assessing experimentally induced pain perception through a 2-min constant heat pain stimulation. However, the traditional analysis relying on group means struggles to interpret the considerable inter-individual variability due to the dynamic nature of the response. Recently, trajectory analysis techniques based on extended mixed models have emerged, providing insights into distinct response profiles. Notably, these methods have never been applied to pain paradigms before. Furthermore, various socio-demographic and neurobiological factors, including endocannabinoids, may account for these inter-individual differences. This study aims to apply the novel analysis to dynamic pain responses and investigate variations in response profiles concerning socio-demographic, psychological, and blood endocannabinoid concentrations. 346 pain-free participants were enrolled in a psychophysical test involving a continuous painful heat stimulation lasting for 2 min at a moderate intensity. Pain perception was continuously recorded using a computerized visual scale. Dynamic pain response analyses were conducted using the innovative extended mixed model approach. In contrast to the traditional group-mean analysis, the extended mixed model revealed three pain response trajectories. Trajectory 1 is characterized by a delay peak pain. Trajectory 2 is equivalent to the classic approach (peak pain follow by a constant and moderate increase of pain perception). Trajectory 3 is characterized by extreme responses (steep peak pain, decrease, and increase of pain perception), Furthermore, age and blood anandamide levels exhibited significant variations among these three trajectories. Using an innovative statistical approach, we found that a large proportion of our sample had a response significantly different from the average expected response. Endocannabinoid system seems to play a role in pain response profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Potvin
- Centre de recherche, Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal (Qc), Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry and Addiction, University of Montreal, Montreal (Qc), Canada.
| | - Matthieu Vincenot
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke (Qc), Canada
- Centre de Recherche sur le Vieillissement, CUISSS de l'Estrie-CHUS, Sherbrooke, Canada
| | - Lounès Haroune
- Pharmacology Institute of Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke (Qc), Canada
| | - Charles-Édouard Giguère
- Centre de recherche, Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal (Qc), Canada
| | - Louis Gendron
- Pharmacology Institute of Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke (Qc), Canada
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke (Qc), Canada
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke (Qc), Canada
| | - Guillaume Léonard
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke (Qc), Canada
- Centre de Recherche sur le Vieillissement, CUISSS de l'Estrie-CHUS, Sherbrooke, Canada
| | - Serge Marchand
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke (Qc), Canada
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke (Qc), Canada
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Sliwinski C, Heutehaus L, Taberner FJ, Weiss L, Kampanis V, Tolou-Dabbaghian B, Cheng X, Motsch M, Heppenstall PA, Kuner R, Franz S, Lechner SG, Weidner N, Puttagunta R. Contribution of mechanoreceptors to spinal cord injury-induced mechanical allodynia. Pain 2024; 165:1336-1347. [PMID: 38739766 PMCID: PMC11090032 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Evidence from previous studies supports the concept that spinal cord injury (SCI)-induced neuropathic pain (NP) has its neural roots in the peripheral nervous system. There is uncertainty about how and to which degree mechanoreceptors contribute. Sensorimotor activation-based interventions (eg, treadmill training) have been shown to reduce NP after experimental SCI, suggesting transmission of pain-alleviating signals through mechanoreceptors. The aim of the present study was to understand the contribution of mechanoreceptors with respect to mechanical allodynia in a moderate mouse contusion SCI model. After genetic ablation of tropomyosin receptor kinase B expressing mechanoreceptors before SCI, mechanical allodynia was reduced. The identical genetic ablation after SCI did not yield any change in pain behavior. Peptidergic nociceptor sprouting into lamina III/IV below injury level as a consequence of SCI was not altered by either mechanoreceptor ablation. However, skin-nerve preparations of contusion SCI mice 7 days after injury yielded hyperexcitability in nociceptors, not in mechanoreceptors, which makes a substantial direct contribution of mechanoreceptors to NP maintenance unlikely. Complementing animal data, quantitative sensory testing in human SCI subjects indicated reduced mechanical pain thresholds, whereas the mechanical detection threshold was not altered. Taken together, early mechanoreceptor ablation modulates pain behavior, most likely through indirect mechanisms. Hyperexcitable nociceptors seem to be the main drivers of SCI-induced NP. Future studies need to focus on injury-derived factors triggering early-onset nociceptor hyperexcitability, which could serve as targets for more effective therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Sliwinski
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuroregeneration, Spinal Cord Injury Center, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Laura Heutehaus
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Lisa Weiss
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuroregeneration, Spinal Cord Injury Center, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Vasileios Kampanis
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuroregeneration, Spinal Cord Injury Center, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bahardokht Tolou-Dabbaghian
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuroregeneration, Spinal Cord Injury Center, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Xing Cheng
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuroregeneration, Spinal Cord Injury Center, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Melanie Motsch
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuroregeneration, Spinal Cord Injury Center, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Rohini Kuner
- Institute of Pharmacology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Steffen Franz
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefan G. Lechner
- Institute of Pharmacology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Anesthesiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Norbert Weidner
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Radhika Puttagunta
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuroregeneration, Spinal Cord Injury Center, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
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Jende JME, Heutehaus L, Preisner F, Verez Sola CM, Mooshage CM, Heiland S, Rupp R, Bendszus M, Weidner N, Kurz FT, Franz S. Magnetic resonance neurography in spinal cord injury: Imaging findings and clinical significance. Eur J Neurol 2024; 31:e16198. [PMID: 38235932 PMCID: PMC11235803 DOI: 10.1111/ene.16198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 12/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE It is unknown whether changes to the peripheral nervous system following spinal cord injury (SCI) are relevant for functional recovery or the development of neuropathic pain below the level of injury. Magnetic resonance neurography (MRN) at 3 T allows detection and localization of structural and functional nerve damage. This study aimed to combine MRN and clinical assessments in individuals with chronic SCI and nondisabled controls. METHODS Twenty participants with chronic SCI and 20 controls matched for gender, age, and body mass index underwent MRN of the L5 dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and the sciatic nerve. DRG volume, sciatic nerve mean cross-sectional area (CSA), fascicular lesion load, and fractional anisotropy (FA), a marker for functional nerve integrity, were calculated. Results were correlated with clinical assessments and nerve conduction studies. RESULTS Sciatic nerve CSA and lesion load were higher (21.29 ± 5.82 mm2 vs. 14.08 ± 4.62 mm2 , p < 0.001; and 8.70 ± 7.47% vs. 3.60 ± 2.45%, p < 0.001) in individuals with SCI compared to controls, whereas FA was lower (0.55 ± 0.11 vs. 0.63 ± 0.08, p = 0.022). DRG volumes were larger in individuals with SCI who suffered from neuropathic pain compared to those without neuropathic pain (223.7 ± 53.08 mm3 vs. 159.7 ± 55.66 mm3 , p = 0.043). Sciatic MRN parameters correlated with electrophysiological results but did not correlate with the extent of myelopathy or clinical severity of SCI. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with chronic SCI are subject to a decline of structural peripheral nerve integrity that may occur independently from the clinical severity of SCI. Larger volumes of DRG in SCI with neuropathic pain support existing evidence from animal studies on SCI-related neuropathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johann M. E. Jende
- Department of NeuroradiologyHeidelberg University HospitalHeidelbergGermany
| | - Laura Heutehaus
- Spinal Cord Injury CenterHeidelberg University HospitalHeidelbergGermany
| | - Fabian Preisner
- Department of NeuroradiologyHeidelberg University HospitalHeidelbergGermany
| | | | | | - Sabine Heiland
- Department of NeuroradiologyHeidelberg University HospitalHeidelbergGermany
- Division of Experimental Radiology, Department of NeuroradiologyHeidelberg University HospitalHeidelbergGermany
| | - Rüdiger Rupp
- Spinal Cord Injury CenterHeidelberg University HospitalHeidelbergGermany
| | - Martin Bendszus
- Department of NeuroradiologyHeidelberg University HospitalHeidelbergGermany
| | - Norbert Weidner
- Spinal Cord Injury CenterHeidelberg University HospitalHeidelbergGermany
| | - Felix T. Kurz
- Department of NeuroradiologyHeidelberg University HospitalHeidelbergGermany
- German Cancer Research CenterHeidelbergGermany
| | - Steffen Franz
- Spinal Cord Injury CenterHeidelberg University HospitalHeidelbergGermany
- Department for Spinal Cord InjuryAllgemeine Unfallversicherungsanstalt ‐ Austrain Workers' Compensation Board, Rehabilitation Center Weisser HofKlosterneuburgAustria
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Reis FJJ, Bittencourt JV, Calestini L, de Sá Ferreira A, Meziat-Filho N, Nogueira LC. Exploratory analysis of 5 supervised machine learning models for predicting the efficacy of the endogenous pain inhibitory pathway in patients with musculoskeletal pain. Musculoskelet Sci Pract 2023; 66:102788. [PMID: 37315499 DOI: 10.1016/j.msksp.2023.102788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The identification of factors that influence the efficacy of endogenous pain inhibitory pathways remains challenging due to different protocols and populations. We explored five machine learning (ML) models to estimate the Conditioned Pain Modulation (CPM) efficacy. DESIGN Exploratory, cross-sectional design. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS This study was conducted in an outpatient setting and included 311 patients with musculoskeletal pain. METHODS Data collection included sociodemographic, lifestyle, and clinical characteristics. CPM efficacy was calculated by comparing the pressure pain thresholds before and after patients submerged their non-dominant hand in a bucket of cold water (cold-pressure test) (1-4 °C). We developed five ML models: decision tree, random forest, gradient-boosted trees, logistic regression, and support vector machine. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Model performance were assessed using receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, recall, F1-score, and the Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC). To interpret and explain the predictions, we used SHapley Additive explanation values and Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations. RESULTS The XGBoost model presented the highest performance with an accuracy of 0.81 (95% CI = 0.73 to 0.89), F1 score of 0.80 (95% CI = 0.74 to 0.87), AUC of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.74 to 0.88), MCC of 0.61, and Kappa of 0.61. The model was influenced by duration of pain, fatigue, physical activity, and the number of painful areas. CONCLUSIONS XGBoost showed potential in predicting the CPM efficacy in patients with musculoskeletal pain on our dataset. Further research is needed to ensure the external validity and clinical utility of this model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe J J Reis
- Physical Therapy Department, Instituto Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Clinical Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; . Pain in Motion Research Group, Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Faculty of Physical Education & Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Juliana Valentim Bittencourt
- Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, Centro Universitário Augusto Motta (UNISUAM), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Arthur de Sá Ferreira
- Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, Centro Universitário Augusto Motta (UNISUAM), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ney Meziat-Filho
- Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, Centro Universitário Augusto Motta (UNISUAM), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Leandro C Nogueira
- Physical Therapy Department, Instituto Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, Centro Universitário Augusto Motta (UNISUAM), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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De Schoenmacker I, Mollo A, Scheuren PS, Sirucek L, Brunner F, Schweinhardt P, Curt A, Rosner J, Hubli M. Central sensitization in CRPS patients with widespread pain: a cross-sectional study. PAIN MEDICINE (MALDEN, MASS.) 2023; 24:974-984. [PMID: 36946277 PMCID: PMC10391588 DOI: 10.1093/pm/pnad040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Widespread pain hypersensitivity and enhanced temporal summation of pain (TSP) are commonly reported in patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and discussed as proxies for central sensitization. This study aimed to directly relate such signs of neuronal hyperexcitability to the pain phenotype of CRPS patients. METHODS Twenty-one CRPS patients and 20 healthy controls (HC) were recruited. The pain phenotype including spatial pain extent (assessed in % body surface) and intensity were assessed and related to widespread pain hypersensitivity, TSP, and psychological factors. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) was performed in the affected, the contralateral and a remote (control) area. RESULTS CRPS patients showed decreased pressure pain thresholds in all tested areas (affected: t(34) = 4.98, P < .001, contralateral: t(35) = 3.19, P = .005, control: t(31) = 2.65, P = .012). Additionally, patients showed increased TSP in the affected area (F(3,111) = 4.57, P = .009) compared to HC. TSP was even more enhanced in patients with a high compared to a low spatial pain extent (F(3,51) = 5.67, P = .008), suggesting pronounced spinal sensitization in patients with extended pain patterns. Furthermore, the spatial pain extent positively correlated with the Bath Body Perception Disturbance Scale (ρ = 0.491; P = .048). CONCLUSIONS Overall, we provide evidence that the pain phenotype in CRPS, that is, spatial pain extent, might be related to sensitization mechanism within the central nociceptive system. This study points towards central neuronal excitability as a potential therapeutic target in patients with more widespread CRPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iara De Schoenmacker
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anna Mollo
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Paulina Simonne Scheuren
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Laura Sirucek
- Integrative Spinal Research, Department of Chiropractic Medicine, University Hospital Balgrist, University of Zurich, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Florian Brunner
- Physical Medicine and Rheumatology, Balgrist University Hospital, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Petra Schweinhardt
- Integrative Spinal Research, Department of Chiropractic Medicine, University Hospital Balgrist, University of Zurich, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland
- Alan Edward Center for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Armin Curt
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jan Rosner
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Bern, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Danish Pain Research Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Michèle Hubli
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland
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Knezevic A, Kovacevic M, Jeremic-Knezevic M, Nikolasevic Z, Tomasevic-Todorovic S, Zivanovic Z, Spasojevic T, Garipi E, Vojnovic L, Popovic D, Neblett R. Patients with neuropathic pain from lumbosacral radiculopathy demonstrate similar pressure pain thresholds and conditioned pain modulation to those with fibromyalgia. Neurophysiol Clin 2023; 53:102841. [PMID: 36716611 DOI: 10.1016/j.neucli.2022.102841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Revised: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The purpose of the study was to evaluate pain thresholds, impairment of the endogenous pain modulatory system, and self-reported cognitive-emotional and central sensitization-related symptoms among three subject groups: a rarely studied patient cohort with neuropathic pain from lumbosacral radiculopathy (NPLSR), patients with fibromyalgia (FM) and healthy controls (HC). METHODS Patient-reported pain-related symptomology was evaluated with psychometricallyvalidated questionnaires. Pressure pain threshold (PPT), heat pain threshold (HPT), and cold pain threshold (CPT) were assessed in the low back and contralateral forearm. Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) was evaluated with a recently introduced methodology that accounts for a standard error of measurement. RESULTS Compared to the HC subjects, the FM and NPLSR subjects had significantly lower pain thresholds and more CPM impairment. No significant differences in PPT and CPM were observed between the FM and NPLSR groups. Significant group differences were found in self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and central sensitization. Self-reported symptom severity increased in a stair-step fashion, with the HC group scoring lowest and FM group scoring highest. CONCLUSION The NPLSR group manifested CPM dysfunction and pressure hyperalgesia at similar levels to the FM group, indicating that these two chronic pain syndromes, likely based on different pathophysiological mechanisms, in fact share some common pain processing features. However, though both patient groups demonstrated similarities in pain processing, self-reported cognitive-emotional and central sensitization-related symptom severity was significantly higher in the FM cohort, which distinguished them from the chronic NPLSR cohort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandar Knezevic
- Faculty of Medicine University of Novi Sad, Serbia; Medical Rehabilitation Clinic University Clinical Centre of Vojvodina, Serbia.
| | | | | | | | - Snezana Tomasevic-Todorovic
- Faculty of Medicine University of Novi Sad, Serbia; Medical Rehabilitation Clinic University Clinical Centre of Vojvodina, Serbia
| | - Zeljko Zivanovic
- Faculty of Medicine University of Novi Sad, Serbia; Neurology Clinic University Clinical Centre of Vojvodina, Serbia
| | - Tijana Spasojevic
- Faculty of Medicine University of Novi Sad, Serbia; Medical Rehabilitation Clinic University Clinical Centre of Vojvodina, Serbia
| | - Enis Garipi
- Faculty of Medicine University of Novi Sad, Serbia; Medical Rehabilitation Clinic University Clinical Centre of Vojvodina, Serbia
| | - Larisa Vojnovic
- Faculty of Medicine University of Novi Sad, Serbia; Medical Rehabilitation Clinic University Clinical Centre of Vojvodina, Serbia
| | - Dunja Popovic
- Faculty of Medicine University of Novi Sad, Serbia; Medical Rehabilitation Clinic University Clinical Centre of Vojvodina, Serbia
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Huynh V, Lütolf R, Rosner J, Luechinger R, Curt A, Kollias S, Michels L, Hubli M. Intrinsic brain connectivity alterations despite intact pain inhibition in subjects with neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury: a pilot study. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11943. [PMID: 37488130 PMCID: PMC10366123 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37783-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Endogenous pain modulation in humans is frequently investigated with conditioned pain modulation (CPM). Deficient pain inhibition is a proposed mechanism that contributes to neuropathic pain (NP) after spinal cord injury (SCI). Recent studies have combined CPM testing and neuroimaging to reveal neural correlates of CPM efficiency in chronic pain. This study investigated differences in CPM efficiency in relation to resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) between 12 SCI-NP subjects and 13 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC). Twelve and 11 SCI-NP subjects were included in psychophysical and rsFC analyses, respectively. All HC were included in the final analyses. Psychophysical readouts were analysed to determine CPM efficiency within and between cohorts. Group differences of rsFC, in relation to CPM efficiency, were explored with seed-to-voxel rsFC analyses with pain modulatory regions, e.g. ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) and amygdala. Overall, pain inhibition was not deficient in SCI-NP subjects and was greater in those with more intense NP. Greater pain inhibition was associated with weaker rsFC between the vlPAG and amygdala with the visual and frontal cortex, respectively, in SCI-NP subjects but with stronger rsFC in HC. Taken together, SCI-NP subjects present with intact pain inhibition, but can be differentiated from HC by an inverse relationship between CPM efficiency and intrinsic connectivity of supraspinal regions. Future studies with larger cohorts are necessary to consolidate the findings in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Huynh
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Forchstrasse 340, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Department of Neuroradiology, Clinical Neuroscience Center, University Hospital Zurich & University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Forchstrasse 340, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Robin Lütolf
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Forchstrasse 340, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jan Rosner
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Forchstrasse 340, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Bern, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Roger Luechinger
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Armin Curt
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Forchstrasse 340, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Spyridon Kollias
- Department of Neuroradiology, Clinical Neuroscience Center, University Hospital Zurich & University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lars Michels
- Department of Neuroradiology, Clinical Neuroscience Center, University Hospital Zurich & University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michèle Hubli
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Forchstrasse 340, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland
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Widerström-Noga E. Neuropathic Pain and Spinal Cord Injury: Management, Phenotypes, and Biomarkers. Drugs 2023:10.1007/s40265-023-01903-7. [PMID: 37326804 DOI: 10.1007/s40265-023-01903-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Chronic neuropathic pain after a spinal cord injury (SCI) continues to be a complex condition that is difficult to manage due to multiple underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and the association with psychosocial factors. Determining the individual contribution of each of these factors is currently not a realistic goal; however, focusing on the primary mechanisms may be more feasible. One approach used to uncover underlying mechanisms includes phenotyping using pain symptoms and somatosensory function. However, this approach does not consider cognitive and psychosocial mechanisms that may also significantly contribute to the pain experience and impact treatment outcomes. Indeed, clinical experience supports that a combination of self-management, non-pharmacological, and pharmacological approaches is needed to optimally manage pain in this population. This article will provide a broad updated summary integrating the clinical aspects of SCI-related neuropathic pain, potential pain mechanisms, evidence-based treatment recommendations, neuropathic pain phenotypes and brain biomarkers, psychosocial factors, and progress regarding how defining neuropathic pain phenotypes and other surrogate measures in the neuropathic pain field may lead to targeted treatments for neuropathic pain after SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Widerström-Noga
- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami, 1611 NW 12th Avenue, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami, 1095 NW 14th Terrace, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.
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10
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Tanei T, Maesawa S, Nishimura Y, Nagashima Y, Ishizaki T, Ando M, Kuwatsuka Y, Hashizume A, Kurasawa S, Saito R. Differential target multiplexed spinal cord stimulation using a paddle-type lead placed at the appropriate site for neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury in patients with past spinal surgical histories: study protocol for an exploratory clinical trial. Trials 2023; 24:395. [PMID: 37308986 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-023-07433-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury (SCI), both traumatic and non-traumatic, is refractory to various treatments. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is one of the neuromodulation therapies for neuropathic pain, although SCS has insufficient efficacy for neuropathic pain after SCI. The reasons are presumed to be inappropriate locations of SCS leads and conventional tonic stimulation itself does not have a sufficient analgesic effect for the pain. In patients with past spinal surgical histories, the cylinder-type leads are likely to be placed on the caudal side of the SCI because of surgical adhesions. Differential target multiplexed (DTM) stimulation is one of the latest new stimulation patterns that is superior to conventional stimulation. METHODS A single-center, open-label, randomized, two-way crossover trial is planned to investigate the efficacy of SCS using DTM stimulation placing a paddle lead at the appropriate site for neuropathic pain after SCI in patients with spinal surgical histories. The paddle-type lead delivers energy more efficiently than a cylinder-type lead. This study consists of two steps: SCS trial (first step) and SCS system implantation (second step). The primary outcome is rates of achieving pain improvement with more than 33% reduction 3 months after SCS system implantation. The secondary outcomes are to be evaluated as follows: (1) effectiveness of DTM and tonic stimulations during the SCS trial; (2) changes of assessment items from 1 to 24 months; (3) relationships between the result of the SCS trial and the effects 3 months after SCS system implantation; (4) preoperative factors associated with a long-term effect, defined as continuing for more than 12 months; and (5) whether gait function improves from 1 to 24 months. DISCUSSION A paddle-type lead placed on the rostral side of SCI and using DTM stimulation may provide significant pain relief for patients with intractable neuropathic pain after SCI in patients with past spinal surgical histories. TRIAL REGISTRATION Japan Registry of Clinical Trials (jRCT) jRCT 1042220093. Registered on 21 November 2022, and last modified on 6 January 2023. jRCT is approved as a member of the Primary Registry Network of WHO ICTRP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takafumi Tanei
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan.
| | - Satoshi Maesawa
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan
| | - Yusuke Nishimura
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan
| | - Yoshitaka Nagashima
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan
| | - Tomotaka Ishizaki
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan
| | - Masahiko Ando
- Department of Advanced Medicine, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan
| | - Yachiyo Kuwatsuka
- Department of Advanced Medicine, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan
| | - Atsushi Hashizume
- Department of Clinical Research Education, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan
| | - Shimon Kurasawa
- Department of Clinical Research Education, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan
| | - Ryuta Saito
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan
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11
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Lütolf R, Rosner J, Curt A, Hubli M. Indicators of central sensitization in chronic neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury. Eur J Pain 2022; 26:2162-2175. [PMID: 36008094 PMCID: PMC9826442 DOI: 10.1002/ejp.2028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Central sensitization is considered a key mechanism underlying neuropathic pain (NP) after spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS Two novel proxies for central sensitization were investigated in thoracic SCI subjects with (SCI-NP) and without NP (SCI-nonNP) compared to healthy controls (HC). Specifically, temporal summation of pain (TSP) was investigated by examining pain ratings during a 2-min tonic heat application to the volar forearm. Additionally, palmar heat-induced sympathetic skin responses (SSR) were recorded in order to reveal changes in pain-autonomic interaction above the lesion level. Pain extent was assessed as the percentage of the body area and the number of body regions being affected by NP. RESULTS Enhanced TSP was observed in SCI-NP (+66%) compared to SCI-nonNP (-75%, p = 0.009) and HC (-59%, p = 0.021). In contrast, no group differences were found (p = 0.685) for SSR habituation. However, pain extent in SCI-NP was positively correlated with deficient SSR habituation (body area: r = 0.561, p = 0.024; body regions: r = 0.564, p = 0.023). CONCLUSIONS These results support the value of TSP and heat-induced SSRs as proxies for central sensitization in widespread neuropathic pain syndromes after SCI. Measures of pain-autonomic interaction emerged as a promising tool for the objective investigation of sensitized neuronal states in chronic pain conditions. SIGNIFICANCE We present two surrogate readouts for central sensitization in neuropathic pain following SCI. On the one hand, temporal summation of tonic heat pain is enhanced in subjects with neuropathic pain. On the other hand, pain-autonomic interaction reveals potential advanced measures in chronic pain, as subjects with a high extent of neuropathic pain showed diminished habituation of pain-induced sympathetic measures. A possible implication for clinical practice is constituted by an improved assessment of neuronal hyperexcitability potentially enabling mechanism-based treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Lütolf
- Spinal Cord Injury CenterBalgrist University Hospital, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Jan Rosner
- Spinal Cord Injury CenterBalgrist University Hospital, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland,Department of NeurologyUniversity Hospital Bern, Inselspital, University of BernBernSwitzerland
| | - Armin Curt
- Spinal Cord Injury CenterBalgrist University Hospital, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Michèle Hubli
- Spinal Cord Injury CenterBalgrist University Hospital, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
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12
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Lütolf R, De Schoenmacker I, Rosner J, Sirucek L, Schweinhardt P, Curt A, Hubli M. Anti- and Pro-Nociceptive mechanisms in neuropathic pain after human spinal cord injury. Eur J Pain 2022; 26:2176-2187. [PMID: 36000307 PMCID: PMC9826499 DOI: 10.1002/ejp.2029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Deficient endogenous pain modulation and increased nociceptive excitability are key features of central sensitization and can be assessed in humans by conditioned pain modulation (CPM, anti-nociceptive) and temporal summation of pain (TSP, pro-nociceptive), respectively. This study aimed to investigate these measures as proxies for central sensitization in subjects with chronic neuropathic pain (NP) after spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS In paraplegic subjects with NP (SCI-NP; n = 17) and healthy controls (HC; n = 17), parallel and sequential sham-controlled CPM paradigms were performed using pressure pain threshold at the hand, that is, above lesion level, as test stimulus. The conditioning stimulus was a noxious cold (verum) or lukewarm water bath (sham) applied contralaterally. Regarding pro-nociceptive mechanisms, a TSP protocol with individually-adjusted pressure pain stimuli at the thenar eminence was used. CPM and TSP magnitudes were related to intensity and spatial extent of spontaneous NP. RESULTS Neither the parallel nor sequential sham-controlled CPM paradigm showed any significant inhibition of above-level pressure pain thresholds for SCI-NP or HC. Accordingly, no group difference in CPM capacity was found, however, subjects with more intense spontaneous NP showed lower inhibitory CPM capacity. TSP was observed for both groups but was not enhanced in SCI-NP. CONCLUSIONS Our results do not support altered above-level anti- or pro-nociceptive mechanisms in SCI-NP compared with HC; however, they also highlight the relevance of spontaneous NP intensity with regards to the capacity of endogenous pain modulation in SCI subjects. SIGNIFICANCE Central sensitization encompasses deficient endogenous pain modulation and increased nociceptive excitability. These two mechanisms can be assessed in humans by conditioned pain modulation and temporal summation of pain, respectively. Our data demonstrates a lack of descending pain inhibition only in subjects with severe neuropathic pain which may hint towards central sensitization at spinal and/or supra-spinal levels. Disentangling the mechanisms of endogenous pain modulation and neuronal hyperexcitability might improve mechanism-based treatment of neuropathic pain in subjects with spinal cord injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Lütolf
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University HospitalUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Iara De Schoenmacker
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University HospitalUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Jan Rosner
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University HospitalUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland,Department of NeurologyUniversity Hospital Bern, Inselspital, University of BernBernSwitzerland
| | - Laura Sirucek
- Integrative Spinal Research, Department of Chiropractic MedicineBalgrist University Hospital, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Petra Schweinhardt
- Integrative Spinal Research, Department of Chiropractic MedicineBalgrist University Hospital, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Armin Curt
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University HospitalUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Michèle Hubli
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University HospitalUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
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13
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FUKAYA N, TANEI T, NISHIMURA Y, HARA M, HATA N, NAGASHIMA Y, MAESAWA S, ARAKI Y, SAITO R. Spinal Cord Stimulation for Neuropathic Pain following a Spinal Cord Lesion with Past Spinal Surgical Histories Using a Paddle Lead Placed on the Rostral Side of the Lesion: Report of Three Cases. NMC Case Rep J 2022; 9:349-355. [PMID: 36381134 PMCID: PMC9633090 DOI: 10.2176/jns-nmc.2022-0218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord parenchymal lesions may induce intractable neuropathic pain. However, the efficacy of conventional spinal cord stimulation for the neuropathic pain following spinal cord lesions remains to be controversial. In this study, we present three cases of spinal cord stimulation using a paddle lead at the rostral side of the spinal lesion causing pain symptoms. Good pain reductions were achieved using conventional stimulation in one case and using differential target multiplexed stimulation in two cases. Case 1: A 55-year-old man presented with neuropathic pain affecting his bilateral upper extremities due to a traumatic cervical spinal cord injury. Conventional stimulation via a paddle-type electrode was able to reduce the pain from 8 to 4 via a visual analog scale. Case 2: A 67-year-old man had undergone three spinal surgeries. He presented with pain and numbness of bilateral lower extremities due to a spinal cord lesion by thoracic disc herniation. Differential target multiplexed stimulation via a paddle-type electrode achieved excellent pain reduction, that is, from 9 to 2 on the visual analog scale. Case 3: An 80-year-old man presented with pain in his bilateral upper extremities due to a cervical spinal cord lesion caused by compression and spinal canal stenosis. Posterior cervical decompression and paddle-type electrode placement were performed simultaneously. Differential target multiplexed stimulation was able to achieve excellent pain reduction, from 7 to 2 on the visual analog scale. Spinal cord stimulation using a paddle lead at the rostral side of the spinal lesion and differential target multiplexed stimulation may provide significant opportunities for patients with intractable neuropathic pain following spinal cord lesions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuhisa FUKAYA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Takafumi TANEI
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Yusuke NISHIMURA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Masahito HARA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Aichi Medical University Hospital, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan
| | - Nobuhiro HATA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Sakura General Hospital, Niwa, Aichi, Japan
| | - Yoshitaka NAGASHIMA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Satoshi MAESAWA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Yoshio ARAKI
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Ryuta SAITO
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
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14
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Boerger T, Alsouhibani A, Mowforth O, Hamilton J, Lalkhen A, Davies BM, Kotter MRN. Moving Beyond the Neck and Arm: The Pain Experience of People With Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy Who Have Pain. Global Spine J 2022; 12:1434-1442. [PMID: 33626937 PMCID: PMC9393978 DOI: 10.1177/2192568220986143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional internet survey of people living with degenerative cervical myelopathy. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to quantify pain distribution, severity, and interference in persons with degenerative cervical myelopathy. METHODS Eighty-two participants with degenerative cervical myelopathy were recruited for this internet survey. This survey utilized the Michigan Body Map and brief pain inventory (BPI) to assess anatomical distribution and severity of pain as well as the patient derived modified Japanese Orthopedic Association scale (p-mJOA) for myelopathic severity and SF-36 for measures of health-related quality of life. Internal consistency was evaluated with Cronbach's alpha. Pearson's correlations were assessed with p-mJOA and SF-36. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine if history of prior surgery or concomitant pain diagnosis impacted experience of pain. RESULTS Michigan body map distribution and brief pain inventory severity and interference were correlated with p-mJOA and SF-36 scores (p < 0.05). Pain was moderate to severe in 78% of participants. Pain was commonly widespread. Pain scales were sufficiently internally consistent (α > 0.9). History of surgery or other pain diagnosis did not impact experience of pain in myelopathy. CONCLUSIONS Pain is commonly identifiable in large areas of the body, is frequently moderate to severe in intensity and impacts quality of life and severity of myelopathy in a cohort of individuals with myelopathy who have pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Boerger
- Department of Physical Therapy, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Ali Alsouhibani
- Department of Physical Therapy, College of Medical Rehabilitation, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Oliver Mowforth
- Department of Clinical Neurosurgery, Academic Neurosurgery Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Joseph Hamilton
- Department of Clinical Neurosurgery, Academic Neurosurgery Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Abdul Lalkhen
- Neuromodulation Service Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Salford, UK
| | - Benjamin M. Davies
- Department of Clinical Neurosurgery, Academic Neurosurgery Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mark R. N. Kotter
- Department of Clinical Neurosurgery, Academic Neurosurgery Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK,Mark R. N. Kotter, Department of Clinical Neurosurgery, Academic Neurosurgery Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN, UK.
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15
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Granovsky Y, Shafran Topaz L, Laycock H, Zubiedat R, Crystal S, Buxbaum C, Bosak N, Hadad R, Domany E, Khamaisi M, Sprecher E, Bennett DL, Rice A, Yarnitsky D. Conditioned pain modulation is more efficient in patients with painful diabetic polyneuropathy than those with nonpainful diabetic polyneuropathy. Pain 2022; 163:827-833. [PMID: 34371518 PMCID: PMC9009321 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Endogenous pain modulation, as tested by the conditioned pain modulation (CPM) protocol, is typically less efficient in patients with chronic pain compared with healthy controls. We aimed to assess whether CPM is less efficient in patients with painful diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) compared with those with nonpainful DPN. Characterization of the differences in central pain processing between these 2 groups might provide a central nervous system explanation to the presence or absence of pain in diabetic neuropathy in addition to the peripheral one. Two hundred seventy-one patients with DPN underwent CPM testing and clinical assessment, including quantitative sensory testing. Two modalities of the test stimuli (heat and pressure) conditioned to cold noxious water were assessed and compared between patients with painful and nonpainful DPN. No significant difference was found between the groups for pressure pain CPM; however, patients with painful DPN demonstrated unexpectedly more efficient CPMHEAT (-7.4 ± 1.0 vs -2.3 ± 1.6; P = 0.008). Efficient CPMHEAT was associated with higher clinical pain experienced in the 24 hours before testing (r = -0.15; P = 0.029) and greater loss of mechanical sensation (r = -0.135; P = 0.042). Moreover, patients who had mechanical hypoesthesia demonstrated more efficient CPMHEAT (P = 0.005). More efficient CPM among patients with painful DPN might result from not only central changes in pain modulation but also from altered sensory messages coming from tested affected body sites. This calls for the use of intact sites for proper assessment of pain modulation in patients with neuropathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yelena Granovsky
- Laboratory of Clinical Neurophysiology, Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel
- Department of Neurology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
| | - Leah Shafran Topaz
- Laboratory of Clinical Neurophysiology, Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel
| | - Helen Laycock
- Pain Research, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rabab Zubiedat
- Laboratory of Clinical Neurophysiology, Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel
| | - Shoshana Crystal
- Laboratory of Clinical Neurophysiology, Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel
| | - Chen Buxbaum
- Department of Neurology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
| | - Noam Bosak
- Department of Neurology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
| | - Rafi Hadad
- Department of Neurology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
| | - Erel Domany
- Department of Neurology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
| | - Mogher Khamaisi
- Department of Internal Medicine D, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
- Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism Institute, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
| | - Elliot Sprecher
- Department of Neurology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
| | - David L. Bennett
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Rice
- Pain Research, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - David Yarnitsky
- Laboratory of Clinical Neurophysiology, Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israel
- Department of Neurology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
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16
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Rivel M, Achiron A, Dolev M, Stern Y, Zeilig G, Defrin R. Unique features of central neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis: Results of a cluster analysis. Eur J Pain 2022; 26:1107-1122. [PMID: 35263811 PMCID: PMC9313873 DOI: 10.1002/ejp.1934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Background Central neuropathic pain (CNP) is an excruciating condition, prevalent in up to a third of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Identifying CNP among MS patients is particularly challenging considering the ample comorbid chronic pain conditions and sensory disturbances entailed by the disease. The aim was to identify sensory features unique to CNP beyond those of chronic pain and MS. Methods Participants were 112 MS patients: 44 with a diagnosis of CNP, 28 with a diagnosis of chronic musculoskeletal pain (MSP), and 40 pain free. Participants underwent testing of thermal and mechanical thresholds, thermal grill illusion (TGI), pain adaptation (PA), and offset analgesia (OA), and chronic pain was characterized. A two‐step cluster analysis was performed, and the association between the cluster membership and the clinical group membership (CNP, MSP, pain free) was evaluated. Results The CNP and MSP groups were similar in most of the chronic pain variables (e.g., severity, location and quality) and MS‐related variables (e.g., type, severity and medication intake). The three created clusters had unique sensory features: (1) ‘Hyposensitivity’ (increased thermal and touch thresholds) characterized the CNP group; (2) ‘Poor inhibition and hyperalgesia’ (worst PA and OA and decreased TGI threshold) characterized the MSP group; and (3) ‘Efficient inhibition’ (best PA and OA, smallest sensory loss) characterized the pain‐free group. Conclusions The unique sensory features of CNP and MSP provide insight into their pathophysiology, and evaluating them may increase the ability to provide individually based interventions. Efficient inhibition may protect MS patients from chronic pain. Significance Cluster analysis among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) revealed that while central neuropathic pain is associated with thermal and mechanical hypoesthesia, musculoskeletal pain is involved with reduced pain inhibition and hyperalgesia; sensory profiles that provide insights into the mechanisms of these conditions and may promote an individually based pain management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Rivel
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University
| | - Anat Achiron
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University.,Multiple Sclerosis Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University
| | - Mark Dolev
- Multiple Sclerosis Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer
| | - Yael Stern
- Multiple Sclerosis Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer
| | - Gabi Zeilig
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University.,Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Ruth Defrin
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University
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17
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Defrin R, Gruener H, Gaidukov E, Bondi M, Rachamim-Katz O, Ringler E, Blumen N, Zeilig G. From acute to long-term alterations in pain processing and modulation after spinal cord injury: mechanisms related to chronification of central neuropathic pain. Pain 2022; 163:e94-e105. [PMID: 33863855 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT A severe and debilitating consequence of a spinal cord injury (SCI) is central neuropathic pain (CNP). Our aim was to investigate the processes leading to CNP emergence and chronification by analyzing causal relationship over time between spinothalamic function, pain excitability, and pain inhibition after SCI. This longitudinal follow-up study included 53 patients with acute SCI and 20 healthy controls. Spinothalamic, pain excitability, and intrasegmental and extrasegmental pain inhibition indices were repeatedly evaluated at 1.5, 3, and 6 months post-SCI. Between- and within-group analyses were conducted among those patients who eventually developed CNP and those who did not. Healthy controls were evaluated twice for repeatability analysis. Patients who developed CNP, compared with those who did not, exhibited increased thermal thresholds (P < 0.05), reduced pain adaptation (P < 0.01), and conditioned pain modulation (P < 0.05), early post-injury, and the CNP group's manifestations remained worse throughout the follow-up. By contrast, allodynia frequency was initially similar across SCI groups, but gradually increased in the subacute phase onward only among the CNP group (P < 0.001), along with CNP emergence. Early worse spinothalamic and pain inhibition preceded CNP and predicted its occurrence, and early worse pain inhibition mediated the link between spinothalamic function and CNP. Crossover associations were observed between early and late pain inhibition and excitability. Inefficient intrasegmental and extrasegmental inhibition, possibly resulting from spinothalamic deafferentation, seems to ignite CNP chronification. Pain excitability probably contributes to CNP maintenance, possibly via further exhaustion of the inhibitory control. Preemptive treatment promoting antinociception early post-SCI may mitigate or prevent CNP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Defrin
- Department of Physical Therapy at Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Hila Gruener
- Department of Physical Therapy at Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Evgeni Gaidukov
- Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
- Department of Rehabilitation Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Moshe Bondi
- Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
- Department of Rehabilitation Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Orna Rachamim-Katz
- Barzilai Day Care Rehabilitation Unit, Barzilai Medical Center, Ashkelon, Israel
| | - Erez Ringler
- Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
- Department of Rehabilitation Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Nava Blumen
- Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
- Department of Rehabilitation Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Gabi Zeilig
- Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
- Department of Rehabilitation Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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18
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Balasch-Bernat M, Dueñas L, Aguilar-Rodríguez M, Falla D, Schneebeli A, Navarro-Bosch M, Lluch E, Barbero M. The Spatial Extent of Pain Is Associated with Pain Intensity, Catastrophizing and Some Measures of Central Sensitization in People with Frozen Shoulder. J Clin Med 2021; 11:154. [PMID: 35011895 PMCID: PMC8745240 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11010154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the spatial extent of pain and its association with clinical symptoms, psychological features, and pain sensitization in people with frozen shoulder (FS). Forty-eight individuals with FS completed pain drawings (PDs) and reported their clinical symptoms including pain intensity (Visual Analogue Scale) and shoulder disability (Shoulder Pain and Disability Index). Moreover, pain sensitization measurements (pressure pain thresholds, temporal summation, conditioned pain modulation, and Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI)) were assessed. Psychological features were assessed by Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and Pain Vigilance and Awareness Questionnaire. Pain frequency maps were generated, Margolis rating scale was used for pain location, and Spearman correlation coefficients were computed. The mean (SD) pain extent was 12.5% (6.7%) and the most common painful area was the anterolateral shoulder region (100%). Women presented a more widespread pain distribution compared with men. Significant positive associations were obtained between pain extent and current pain intensity (rs = 0.421, p < 0.01), PCS (rs = 0.307, p < 0.05) and CSI (rs = 0.358, p < 0.05). The anterolateral region of the shoulder was the most common painful area in people with FS. Women with FS presented more extended areas of pain; and a more widespread distribution of pain was correlated with higher levels of pain, pain catastrophizing and pain sensitization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mercè Balasch-Bernat
- Physiotherapy in Motion, Multi-Speciality Research Group (PTinMOTION), Department of Physiotherapy, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (M.B.-B.); (M.A.-R.); (E.L.)
| | - Lirios Dueñas
- Physiotherapy in Motion, Multi-Speciality Research Group (PTinMOTION), Department of Physiotherapy, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (M.B.-B.); (M.A.-R.); (E.L.)
| | - Marta Aguilar-Rodríguez
- Physiotherapy in Motion, Multi-Speciality Research Group (PTinMOTION), Department of Physiotherapy, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (M.B.-B.); (M.A.-R.); (E.L.)
| | - Deborah Falla
- Centre of Precision Rehabilitation for Spinal Pain (CPR Spine), School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; (D.F.); (A.S.)
| | - Alessandro Schneebeli
- Centre of Precision Rehabilitation for Spinal Pain (CPR Spine), School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; (D.F.); (A.S.)
- Rehabilitation Research Laboratory, Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, SUPSI, Stabile Piazzetta, Via Violino, 6928 Manno, Switzerland;
| | - Marta Navarro-Bosch
- Servicio de Cirugía Ortopédica y Traumatología del Hospital Universitari I Politècnic La Fe de València, 46026 Valencia, Spain;
| | - Enrique Lluch
- Physiotherapy in Motion, Multi-Speciality Research Group (PTinMOTION), Department of Physiotherapy, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (M.B.-B.); (M.A.-R.); (E.L.)
- Pain in Motion Research Group (PAIN), Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy (KIMA), Faculty of Physical Education & Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Marco Barbero
- Rehabilitation Research Laboratory, Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, SUPSI, Stabile Piazzetta, Via Violino, 6928 Manno, Switzerland;
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19
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Huynh V, Lütolf R, Rosner J, Luechinger R, Curt A, Kollias S, Michels L, Hubli M. Descending pain modulatory efficiency in healthy subjects is related to structure and resting connectivity of brain regions. Neuroimage 2021; 247:118742. [PMID: 34863962 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The descending pain modulatory system in humans is commonly investigated using conditioned pain modulation (CPM). Whilst variability in CPM efficiency, i.e., inhibition and facilitation, is normal in healthy subjects, exploring the inter-relationship between brain structure, resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and CPM readouts will provide greater insight into the underlying CPM efficiency seen in healthy individuals. Thus, this study combined CPM testing, voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and rsFC to identify the neural correlates of CPM in a cohort of healthy subjects (n =40), displaying pain inhibition (n = 29), facilitation (n = 10) and no CPM effect (n = 1). Clusters identified in the VBM analysis were implemented in the rsFC analysis alongside key constituents of the endogenous pain modulatory system. Greater pain inhibition was related to higher volume of left frontal cortices and stronger rsFC between the motor cortex and periaqueductal grey. Conversely, weaker pain inhibition was related to higher volume of the right frontal cortex - coupled with stronger rsFC to the primary somatosensory cortex, and rsFC between the amygdala and posterior insula. Overall, healthy subjects showed higher volume and stronger rsFC of brain regions involved with descending modulation, while the lateral and medial pain systems were related to greater pain inhibition and facilitation during CPM, respectively. These findings reveal structural alignments and functional interactions between supraspinal areas involved in CPM efficiency. Ultimately understanding these underlying variations and how they may become affected in chronic pain conditions, will advance a more targeted subgrouping in pain patients for future cross-sectional studies investigating endogenous pain modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Huynh
- Department of Neuroradiology, Clinical Neuroscience Center, University Hospital Zurich & University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Forchstrasse 340, Zurich 8008, Switzerland.
| | - Robin Lütolf
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Forchstrasse 340, Zurich 8008, Switzerland
| | - Jan Rosner
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Forchstrasse 340, Zurich 8008, Switzerland; Department of Neurology, University Hospital Bern, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Roger Luechinger
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Armin Curt
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Forchstrasse 340, Zurich 8008, Switzerland
| | - Spyros Kollias
- Department of Neuroradiology, Clinical Neuroscience Center, University Hospital Zurich & University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lars Michels
- Department of Neuroradiology, Clinical Neuroscience Center, University Hospital Zurich & University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michèle Hubli
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Forchstrasse 340, Zurich 8008, Switzerland
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20
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Lütolf R, Rosner J, Curt A, Hubli M. Identifying Discomplete Spinal Lesions: New Evidence from Pain-Autonomic Interaction in Spinal Cord Injury. J Neurotrauma 2021; 38:3456-3466. [PMID: 34806429 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2021.0280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The clinical evaluation of spinal afferents is an important diagnostic and prognostic marker for neurological and functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). Particularly important regarding neuropathic pain following SCI is the function of the spinothalamic tract (STT) conveying nociceptive and temperature information. Here, we investigated the added value of neurophysiological methods revealing discomplete STT lesions; that is, residual axonal sparing in clinically complete STT lesions. Specifically, clinical pinprick testing and thermal thresholds were compared with objective contact heat-evoked potentials (CHEPs) and a novel measure of pain-autonomic interaction employing heat-induced sympathetic skin responses (SSR). The test stimuli (i.e., contact heat, pinprick) were applied below the lesion level in 32 subjects with thoracic SCI while corresponding heat-evoked responses (i.e., CHEPs and SSR) were recorded above the lesion (i.e., scalp and hand, respectively). Readouts of STT function were related to neuropathic pain characteristics. In subjects with abolished pinprick sensation, measures of thermosensation (10%), CHEPs (33%), and SSR (48%) revealed residual STT function. Importantly, SSRs can be used as an objective readout and when abolished, no other proxy indicated residual STT function. No relationship was found between STT function readouts and spontaneous neuropathic pain intensity and extent. However, subjects with clinically preserved STT function presented more often with allodynia (54%) than subjects with discomplete (13%) or complete STT lesions (18%). In individuals with absent pinprick sensation, discomplete STT lesions can be revealed employing pain-autonomic measures. The improved sensitivity to discerning STT lesion completeness might support the investigation of its association with neuropathic pain following SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Lütolf
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jan Rosner
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Neurology, University Hospital Bern, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Armin Curt
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michèle Hubli
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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21
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Scheuren PS, David G, Kramer JLK, Jutzeler CR, Hupp M, Freund P, Curt A, Hubli M, Rosner J. Combined Neurophysiologic and Neuroimaging Approach to Reveal the Structure-Function Paradox in Cervical Myelopathy. Neurology 2021; 97:e1512-e1522. [PMID: 34380751 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000012643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES To explore the so-called structure-function paradox in individuals with focal spinal lesions by means of tract-specific MRI coupled with multimodal evoked potentials and quantitative sensory testing. METHODS Individuals with signs and symptoms attributable to cervical myelopathy (i.e., no evidence of competing neurologic diagnoses) were recruited at the Balgrist University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland, between February 2018 and March 2019. We evaluated the relationship between the extent of structural damage within spinal nociceptive pathways (i.e., dorsal horn, spinothalamic tract, anterior commissure) assessed with atlas-based MRI and (1) the functional integrity of spinal nociceptive pathways measured with contact heat-, cold-, and pinprick-evoked potentials and (2) clinical somatosensory phenotypes assessed with quantitative sensory testing. RESULTS Sixteen individuals (mean age 61 years) with either degenerative (n = 13) or posttraumatic (n = 3) cervical myelopathy participated in the study. Most individuals presented with mild myelopathy (modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association score >15; n = 13). A total of 71% of individuals presented with structural damage within spinal nociceptive pathways on MRI. However, 50% of these individuals presented with complete functional sparing (i.e., normal contact heat-, cold-, and pinprick-evoked potentials). The extent of structural damage within spinal nociceptive pathways was not associated with functional integrity of thermal (heat: p = 0.57; cold: p = 0.49) and mechano-nociceptive pathways (p = 0.83) or with the clinical somatosensory phenotype (heat: p = 0.16; cold: p = 0.37; mechanical: p = 0.73). The amount of structural damage to the spinothalamic tract did not correlate with spinothalamic conduction velocity (p > 0.05; ρ = -0.11). DISCUSSION Our findings provide neurophysiologic evidence to substantiate that structural damage in the spinal cord does not equate to functional somatosensory deficits. This study recognizes the pronounced structure-function paradox in cervical myelopathies and underlines the inevitable need for a multimodal phenotyping approach to reveal the eloquence of lesions within somatosensory pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulina Simonne Scheuren
- From the Spinal Cord Injury Center (P.S.S., G.D., M. Hupp, P.F., A.C., M. Hubli, J.R.), Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.L.K.K.), Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Biosystems Science and Technology (C.R.J.), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (P.F.), UCL Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK; Department of Neurophysics (P.F.), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; and Department of Neurology (J.R.), University Hospital Bern, Inselspital, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Gergely David
- From the Spinal Cord Injury Center (P.S.S., G.D., M. Hupp, P.F., A.C., M. Hubli, J.R.), Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.L.K.K.), Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Biosystems Science and Technology (C.R.J.), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (P.F.), UCL Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK; Department of Neurophysics (P.F.), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; and Department of Neurology (J.R.), University Hospital Bern, Inselspital, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - John Lawrence Kipling Kramer
- From the Spinal Cord Injury Center (P.S.S., G.D., M. Hupp, P.F., A.C., M. Hubli, J.R.), Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.L.K.K.), Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Biosystems Science and Technology (C.R.J.), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (P.F.), UCL Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK; Department of Neurophysics (P.F.), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; and Department of Neurology (J.R.), University Hospital Bern, Inselspital, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Catherine Ruth Jutzeler
- From the Spinal Cord Injury Center (P.S.S., G.D., M. Hupp, P.F., A.C., M. Hubli, J.R.), Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.L.K.K.), Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Biosystems Science and Technology (C.R.J.), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (P.F.), UCL Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK; Department of Neurophysics (P.F.), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; and Department of Neurology (J.R.), University Hospital Bern, Inselspital, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Markus Hupp
- From the Spinal Cord Injury Center (P.S.S., G.D., M. Hupp, P.F., A.C., M. Hubli, J.R.), Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.L.K.K.), Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Biosystems Science and Technology (C.R.J.), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (P.F.), UCL Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK; Department of Neurophysics (P.F.), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; and Department of Neurology (J.R.), University Hospital Bern, Inselspital, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Freund
- From the Spinal Cord Injury Center (P.S.S., G.D., M. Hupp, P.F., A.C., M. Hubli, J.R.), Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.L.K.K.), Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Biosystems Science and Technology (C.R.J.), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (P.F.), UCL Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK; Department of Neurophysics (P.F.), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; and Department of Neurology (J.R.), University Hospital Bern, Inselspital, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Armin Curt
- From the Spinal Cord Injury Center (P.S.S., G.D., M. Hupp, P.F., A.C., M. Hubli, J.R.), Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.L.K.K.), Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Biosystems Science and Technology (C.R.J.), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (P.F.), UCL Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK; Department of Neurophysics (P.F.), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; and Department of Neurology (J.R.), University Hospital Bern, Inselspital, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Michèle Hubli
- From the Spinal Cord Injury Center (P.S.S., G.D., M. Hupp, P.F., A.C., M. Hubli, J.R.), Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.L.K.K.), Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Biosystems Science and Technology (C.R.J.), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (P.F.), UCL Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK; Department of Neurophysics (P.F.), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; and Department of Neurology (J.R.), University Hospital Bern, Inselspital, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jan Rosner
- From the Spinal Cord Injury Center (P.S.S., G.D., M. Hupp, P.F., A.C., M. Hubli, J.R.), Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.L.K.K.), Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine (J.L.K.K.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Biosystems Science and Technology (C.R.J.), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (P.F.), UCL Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK; Department of Neurophysics (P.F.), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; and Department of Neurology (J.R.), University Hospital Bern, Inselspital, University of Bern, Switzerland.
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22
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Huynh V, Lütolf R, Rosner J, Luechinger R, Curt A, Kollias S, Hubli M, Michels L. Supraspinal nociceptive networks in neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:3733-3749. [PMID: 34132441 PMCID: PMC8288099 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury involves plastic changes along the whole neuroaxis. Current neuroimaging studies have identified grey matter volume (GMV) and resting-state functional connectivity changes of pain processing regions related to neuropathic pain intensity in spinal cord injury subjects. However, the relationship between the underlying neural processes and pain extent, a complementary characteristic of neuropathic pain, is unknown. We therefore aimed to reveal the neural markers of widespread neuropathic pain in spinal cord injury subjects and hypothesized that those with greater pain extent will show higher GMV and stronger connectivity within pain related regions. Thus, 29 chronic paraplegic subjects and 25 healthy controls underwent clinical and electrophysiological examinations combined with neuroimaging. Paraplegics were demarcated based on neuropathic pain and were thoroughly matched demographically. Our findings indicate that (a) spinal cord injury subjects with neuropathic pain display stronger connectivity between prefrontal cortices and regions involved with sensory integration and multimodal processing, (b) greater neuropathic pain extent, is associated with stronger connectivity between the posterior insular cortex and thalamic sub-regions which partake in the lateral pain system and (c) greater intensity of neuropathic pain is related to stronger connectivity of regions involved with multimodal integration and the affective-motivational component of pain. Overall, this study provides neuroimaging evidence that the pain phenotype of spinal cord injury subjects is related to the underlying function of their resting brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Huynh
- Department of Neuroradiology, Clinical Neuroscience CenterUniversity Hospital Zurich & University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Spinal Cord Injury CenterBalgrist University Hospital, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Robin Lütolf
- Spinal Cord Injury CenterBalgrist University Hospital, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Jan Rosner
- Spinal Cord Injury CenterBalgrist University Hospital, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Department of Neurology, InselspitalBern University Hospital, University of BernBernSwitzerland
| | - Roger Luechinger
- Institute for Biomedical EngineeringUniversity and ETH ZürichZürichSwitzerland
| | - Armin Curt
- Spinal Cord Injury CenterBalgrist University Hospital, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Spyridon Kollias
- Department of Neuroradiology, Clinical Neuroscience CenterUniversity Hospital Zurich & University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Michèle Hubli
- Spinal Cord Injury CenterBalgrist University Hospital, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Lars Michels
- Department of Neuroradiology, Clinical Neuroscience CenterUniversity Hospital Zurich & University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
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23
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Rosner J, Negraeff M, Bélanger LM, Tsang A, Ritchie L, Mac-Thiong JM, Christie S, Wilson JR, Dhall S, Charest-Morin R, Street J, Ailon T, Paquette S, Dea N, Fisher CG, Dvorak MF, Finnerup NB, Kwon BK, Kramer JLK. Characterization of Hyperacute Neuropathic Pain after Spinal Cord Injury: A Prospective Study. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2021; 23:89-97. [PMID: 34302956 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2021.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
There is currently a lack of information regarding neuropathic pain in the very early stages of spinal cord injury (SCI). In the present study, neuropathic pain was assessed using the Douleur Neuropathique 4 Questions (DN4) for the patient's worst pain within the first 5 days of injury (i.e., hyperacute) and on follow-up at 3, 6, and 12 months. Within the hyperacute time frame (i.e., 5 days), at- and below-level neuropathic pain were reported as the worst pain in 23% (n = 18) and 5% (n = 4) of individuals with SCI, respectively. Compared to the neuropathic pain observed in this hyperacute setting, late presenting neuropathic pain was characterized by more intense painful electrical and cold sensations, but less itching sensations. Phenotypic differences between acute and late neuropathic pain support the incorporation of timing into a mechanism-based classification of neuropathic pain after SCI. The diagnosis of acute neuropathic pain after SCI is challenged by the presence of nociceptive and neuropathic pains, with the former potentially masking the latter. This may lead to an underestimation of the incidence of neuropathic pain during the very early, hyperacute time points post-injury. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT01279811) PERSPECTIVE: This article presents distinct pain phenotypes of hyperacute and late presenting neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury and highlights the challenges of pain assessments in the acute phase after injury. This information may be relevant to clinical trial design and broaden our understanding of neuropathic pain mechanisms after spinal cord injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Rosner
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Neurology, University Hospital Bern, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Michael Negraeff
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Lise M Bélanger
- Vancouver Spine Program, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Angela Tsang
- Vancouver Spine Program, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Leanna Ritchie
- Vancouver Spine Program, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jean-Marc Mac-Thiong
- Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sean Christie
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Jefferson R Wilson
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sanjay Dhall
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Raphaële Charest-Morin
- Vancouver Spine Surgery Institute, Department of Orthopaedics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - John Street
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Vancouver Spine Surgery Institute, Department of Orthopaedics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Tamir Ailon
- Division of Neurosurgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Scott Paquette
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Division of Neurosurgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nicolas Dea
- Division of Neurosurgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Charles G Fisher
- Vancouver Spine Surgery Institute, Department of Orthopaedics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Marcel F Dvorak
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Vancouver Spine Surgery Institute, Department of Orthopaedics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nanna B Finnerup
- Danish Pain Research Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Neurology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Brian K Kwon
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Vancouver Spine Surgery Institute, Department of Orthopaedics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - John L K Kramer
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada.
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Tavares I, Costa-Pereira JT, Martins I. Monoaminergic and Opioidergic Modulation of Brainstem Circuits: New Insights Into the Clinical Challenges of Pain Treatment? FRONTIERS IN PAIN RESEARCH 2021; 2:696515. [PMID: 35295506 PMCID: PMC8915776 DOI: 10.3389/fpain.2021.696515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The treatment of neuropathic pain remains a clinical challenge. Analgesic drugs and antidepressants are frequently ineffective, and opioids may induce side effects, including hyperalgesia. Recent results on brainstem pain modulatory circuits may explain those clinical challenges. The dual action of noradrenergic (NA) modulation was demonstrated in animal models of neuropathic pain. Besides the well-established antinociception due to spinal effects, the NA system may induce pronociception by directly acting on brainstem pain modulatory circuits, namely, at the locus coeruleus (LC) and medullary dorsal reticular nucleus (DRt). The serotoninergic system also has a dual action depending on the targeted spinal receptor, with an exacerbated activity of the excitatory 5-hydroxytryptamine 3 (5-HT3) receptors in neuropathic pain models. Opioids are involved in the modulation of descending modulatory circuits. During neuropathic pain, the opioidergic modulation of brainstem pain control areas is altered, with the release of enhanced local opioids along with reduced expression and desensitization of μ-opioid receptors (MOR). In the DRt, the installation of neuropathic pain increases the levels of enkephalins (ENKs) and induces desensitization of MOR, which may enhance descending facilitation (DF) from the DRt and impact the efficacy of exogenous opioids. On the whole, the data discussed in this review indicate the high plasticity of brainstem pain control circuits involving monoaminergic and opioidergic control. The data from studies of these neurochemical systems in neuropathic models indicate the importance of designing drugs that target multiple neurochemical systems, namely, maximizing the antinociceptive effects of antidepressants that inhibit the reuptake of serotonin and noradrenaline and preventing desensitization and tolerance of MOR at the brainstem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaura Tavares
- Unit of Experimental Biology, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Investigation and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- *Correspondence: Isaura Tavares
| | - José Tiago Costa-Pereira
- Unit of Experimental Biology, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Investigation and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Isabel Martins
- Unit of Experimental Biology, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Investigation and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
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Black SR, King JB, Mahan MA, Anderson J, Butson CR. Functional Hyperconnectivity and Task-Based Activity Changes Associated With Neuropathic Pain After Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study. Front Neurol 2021; 12:613630. [PMID: 34177753 PMCID: PMC8222514 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.613630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuropathic pain (NP) is a devastating chronic pain condition affecting roughly 80% of the spinal cord injury (SCI) patient population. Current treatment options are largely ineffective and neurophysiological mechanisms of NP are not well-understood. Recent studies in neuroimaging have suggested that NP patients have differential patterns of functional activity that are dependent upon the neurological condition causing NP. We conducted an exploratory pilot study to examine functional activation and connectivity in SCI patients with chronic NP compared to SCI patients without NP. We developed a novel somatosensory attention task to identify short term fluctuations in neural activity related to NP vs. non-painful somatosensation using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We also collected high-resolution resting state fMRI to identify connectivity-based correlations over time between the two groups. We observed increased activation during focus on NP in brain regions associated with somatosensory integration and representational knowledge in pain subjects when compared with controls. Similarly, NP subjects showed increased connectivity at rest in many of the same areas of the brain, with positive correlations between somatomotor networks, the dorsal attention network, and regions associated with pain and specific areas of painful and non-painful sensation within our cohort. Although this pilot analysis did not identify statistically significant differences between groups after correction for multiple comparisons, the observed correlations between NP and functional activation and connectivity align with a priori hypotheses regarding pain, and provide a well-controlled preliminary basis for future research in this severely understudied patient population. Altogether, this study presents a novel task, identifies regions of increased task-based activation associated with NP after SCI in the insula, prefrontal, and medial inferior parietal cortices, and identifies similar regions of increased functional connectivity associated with NP after SCI in sensorimotor, cingulate, prefrontal, and inferior medial parietal cortices. This, along with our complementary results from a structurally based analysis, provide multi-modal evidence for regions of the brain specific to the SCI cohort as novel areas for further study and potential therapeutic targeting to improve outcomes for NP patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shana R Black
- Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.,Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Jace B King
- Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Mark A Mahan
- Neurosurgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Jeffrey Anderson
- Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.,Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Christopher R Butson
- Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.,Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.,Neurosurgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.,Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.,Psychiatry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
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26
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Rivel M, Achiron A, Dolev M, Stern Y, Zeilig G, Defrin R. Central neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis is associated with impaired innocuous thermal pathways and neuronal hyperexcitability. PAIN MEDICINE 2021; 22:2311-2323. [PMID: 33734398 DOI: 10.1093/pm/pnab103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE About a third of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) suffer from chronic and excruciating central neuropathic pain (CNP). The mechanism underlying CNP in MS is not clear, since previous studies are scarce and their results are inconsistent. Our aim was to determine whether CNP in MS is associated with impairment of the spinothalamic-thalamocortical pathways (STTCs) and/or increased excitability of the pain system. DESIGN Cross sectional study. SETTING General hospital. SUBJECTS 47 MS patients with CNP, 42 MS patients without CNP, and 32 healthy controls. METHODS Sensory testing included the measurement of temperature, pain, and touch thresholds and the thermal grill illusion (TGI) for evaluating STTCs function, and hyperpathia and allodynia as indicators of hyperexcitability. CNP was characterized using interviews and questionnaires. RESULTS The CNP group had higher cold and warm thresholds (p < 0.01), as well as higher TGI perception thresholds (p < 0.05), especially in painful body regions compared to controls, whereas touch and pain thresholds values were normal. The CNP group also had a significantly greater prevalence of hyperpathia and allodynia. Regression analysis revealed that whereas presence of CNP was associated with a higher cold threshold, CNP intensity, and the number of painful body regions were associated with allodynia and hyperpathia, respectively. CONCLUSIONS CNP in MS is characterized by a specific impairment of STTC function; the innocuous thermal pathways, and by pain hyperexcitability. Whereas CNP presence is associated with STTC impairment, its severity and extent are associated with pain hyperexcitability. Interventions that reduce excitability level may therefore mitigate CNP severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Rivel
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine Tel Aviv University.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University
| | - Anat Achiron
- Multiple Sclerosis Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University
| | - Mark Dolev
- Multiple Sclerosis Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer
| | - Yael Stern
- Multiple Sclerosis Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer
| | - Gaby Zeilig
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University.,Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer
| | - Ruth Defrin
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine Tel Aviv University.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University
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Biomarkers for predicting central neuropathic pain occurrence and severity after spinal cord injury: results of a long-term longitudinal study. Pain 2021; 161:545-556. [PMID: 31693542 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Central neuropathic pain (CNP) after spinal cord injury (SCI) is debilitating and immensely impacts the individual. Central neuropathic pain is relatively resistant to treatment administered after it develops, perhaps owing to irreversible pathological processes. Although preemptive treatment may overcome this shortcoming, its administration necessitates screening patients with clinically relevant biomarkers that could predict CNP early post-SCI. The aim was to search for such biomarkers by measuring pronociceptive and for the first time, antinociceptive indices early post-SCI. Participants were 47 patients with acute SCI and 20 healthy controls. Pain adaptation, conditioned pain modulation (CPM), pain temporal summation, wind-up pain, and allodynia were measured above, at, and below the injury level, at 1.5 months after SCI. Healthy control were tested at corresponding regions. Spinal cord injury patients were monitored for CNP emergence and characteristics at 3 to 4, 6 to 7, and 24 months post-SCI. Central neuropathic pain prevalence was 57.4%. Central neuropathic pain severity, quality, and aggravating factors but not location somewhat changed over 24 months. Spinal cord injury patients who eventually developed CNP exhibited early, reduced at-level pain adaptation and CPM magnitudes than those who did not. The best predictor for CNP emergence at 3 to 4 and 7 to 8 months was at-level pain adaptation with odds ratios of 3.17 and 2.83, respectively (∼77% probability) and a cutoff value with 90% sensitivity. Allodynia and at-level CPM predicted CNP severity at 3 to 4 and 24 months, respectively. Reduced pain inhibition capacity precedes, and may lead to CNP. At-level pain adaptation is an early CNP biomarker with which individuals at risk can be identified to initiate preemptive treatment.
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28
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Do people with unilateral mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy who participate in running-related physical activity exhibit a meaningful conditioned pain modulation (CPM) effect: a pilot study. J Sci Med Sport 2020; 24:441-447. [PMID: 33187880 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2020.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Our primary objective was to report the presence of a conditioned pain modulation (CPM) effect in people with localised mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy and whether changes occur over a 12-week period. Our secondary objectives were to quantify the proportion of participants who present for tendinopathy research with previous interventions or co-morbidities, which may impact the CPM-effect and investigate modulating factors. DESIGN Prospective, observational cohort pilot study. METHOD 215 participants presented for this Achilles tendinopathy research and were screened for inclusion with nine being included. Included participants had the CPM-effect (cold-pressor test) assessed using pressure pain thresholds at the Achilles tendon and quantified as absolute, relative and meaningful change at baseline and 12-week follow-up. RESULTS The most common reasons for exclusion were failure to meet a load-related diagnosis for Achilles tendinopathy (15.5%), presence of confounding other injury (14.1%) and previous injection therapy (13.6%). All participants had a meaningful CPM-effect at baseline and 12-week follow-up. The mean (SD, n) baseline relative CPM effect (reduction in PPTs) was -40.5 (32.7, 9) percent. Moderators of the CPM-effect as well as follow-up changes were not statistically analysed due to a small sample size. CONCLUSION Based on these data, we would suggest that a homogenous population of patients with chronic, unilateral mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy and no other co-morbidities are likely to exhibit a meaningful CPM-effect. Impairments to endogenous analgesic mechanisms seen in people presenting with mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy may be due to other confounding variables.
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29
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Gagné M, Côté I, Boulet M, Jutzeler CR, Kramer JLK, Mercier C. Conditioned Pain Modulation Decreases Over Time in Patients With Neuropathic Pain Following a Spinal Cord Injury. Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2020; 34:997-1008. [PMID: 33016208 PMCID: PMC7650001 DOI: 10.1177/1545968320962497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Background Neuropathic pain is a major problem following spinal cord injury (SCI). Central mechanisms involved in the modulation of nociceptive signals have been shown to be altered at the chronic stage, and it has been hypothesized that they might play a role in the development of chronic pain. Objective This prospective longitudinal study aimed to describe the evolution of pain modulation mechanisms over time after SCI, and to explore the relationships with the presence of clinical (neuropathic and musculoskeletal) pain. Methods Patients with an SCI were assessed on admission (n = 35; average of 38 days postinjury) and discharge (n = 25; average of 131 days postinjury) using the International Spinal Cord Injury Pain Basic Data Set. Conditioned pain modulation was assessed using the cold pressor test (10 °C; 120 s) as the conditioning stimulus and tonic heat pain, applied above the level of injury, as the test stimulus (120 s). Heat pain threshold was also assessed. Results A marked decrease in the efficacy of conditioned pain modulation was observed over time, with 30.2% of inhibition at admission and only 12.9% at discharge on average (P = .010). This decrease was observed only in patients already suffering from neuropathic pain at admission and was not explained by a general increase in sensitivity to thermal nociceptive stimuli. Conclusion These results suggest that the presence of neuropathic pain leads to a decrease in conditioned pain modulation over time, rather than supporting the hypothesis that inefficient conditioned pain modulation mechanisms are leading to the development of neuropathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Gagné
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration (CIRRIS), Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Isabelle Côté
- Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.,Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux (CIUSSS) de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mélanie Boulet
- Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.,Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux (CIUSSS) de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Catherine R Jutzeler
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Basel, Switzerland.,University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - John L K Kramer
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Catherine Mercier
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration (CIRRIS), Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.,Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.,Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux (CIUSSS) de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
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30
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Tsur N, Defrin R, Haller CS, Bercovitz K, Langer EJ. The effect of mindful attention training for pain modulation capacity: Exploring the mindfulness-pain link. J Clin Psychol 2020; 77:896-909. [PMID: 32997348 DOI: 10.1002/jclp.23063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Revised: 05/02/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Mindfulness has been shown to be beneficial for chronic pain. The underlying mechanisms of the mindfulness-pain link, however, are yet to be established. Particularly, the effects of mindfulness on pain modulation, which is shown to be dysfunctional among chronic pain patients, barely has been tested. This study investigated whether a short mindful attention training based on Langerian mindfulness mitigates reductions in pain modulation. METHOD Systemic quantitative-somatosensory testing of conditioned pain modulation (CPM) was conducted in 60 undergraduates, who were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) Pain-specific mindful attention training; (2) nonspecific mindful attention training; and (3) no mindful attention training. CPM was tested before and after the intervention. RESULTS As hypothesized, a reduction in CPM magnitude was observed only in the control group, whereas this reduction was abolished in the two mindfulness groups. CONCLUSIONS Langerian mindfulness may mitigate pain modulation reduction as observed in chronic pain, thus shedding light on its potential advantages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noga Tsur
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ruth Defrin
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Chiara S Haller
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Division of Public Psychiatry, Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Cognicreate LLC, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Ellen J Langer
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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31
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Abstract
While the acute sensation of pain is protective, signaling the presence of actual or potential bodily harm, its persistence is unpleasant. When pain becomes chronic, it has limited evolutionarily advantage. Despite the differing nature of acute and chronic pain, a common theme is that sufferers seek pain relief. The possibility to medicate pain types as varied as a toothache or postsurgical pain reflects the diverse range of mechanism(s) by which pain-relieving "analgesic" therapies may reduce, eliminate, or prevent pain. Systemic application of an analgesic able to cross the blood-brain barrier can result in pain modulation via interaction with targets at different sites in the central nervous system. A so-called supraspinal mechanism of action indicates manipulation of a brain-defined circuitry. Pre-clinical studies demonstrate that, according to the brain circuitry targeted, varying therapeutic pain-relieving effects may be observed that relate to an impact on, for example, sensory and/or affective qualities of pain. In many cases, this translates to the clinic. Regardless of the brain circuitry manipulated, modulation of brain processing often directly impacts multiple aspects of nociceptive transmission, including spinal neuronal signaling. Consideration of supraspinal mechanisms of analgesia and ensuing pain relief must take into account nonbrain-mediated effects; therefore, in this review, the supraspinally mediated analgesic actions of opioidergic, anti-convulsant, and anti-depressant drugs are discussed. The persistence of poor treatment outcomes and/or side effect profiles of currently used analgesics highlight the need for the development of novel therapeutics or more precise use of available agents. Fully uncovering the complex biology of nociception, as well as currently used analgesic mechanism(s) and site(s) of action, will expedite this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Bannister
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Wolfson CARD, Guy's Campus, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK.
| | - A H Dickenson
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
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32
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Martin Ginis KA, van der Scheer JW, Todd KR, Davis JC, Gaudet S, Hoekstra F, Karim ME, Kramer JLK, Little JP, Singer J, Townson A, West CR. A pragmatic randomized controlled trial testing the effects of the international scientific SCI exercise guidelines on SCI chronic pain: protocol for the EPIC-SCI trial. Spinal Cord 2020; 58:746-754. [PMID: 32409778 DOI: 10.1038/s41393-020-0478-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
STUDY DESIGN Protocol for a pragmatic randomized controlled trial (the Exercise guideline Promotion and Implementation in Chronic SCI [EPIC-SCI] Trial). PRIMARY OBJECTIVES To test if home-/community-based exercise, prescribed according to the international SCI exercise guidelines, significantly reduces chronic bodily pain in adults with SCI. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES To investigate: (1) the effects of exercise on musculoskeletal and neuropathic chronic pain; (2) if reduced inflammation and increased descending inhibitory control are viable pathways by which exercise reduces pain; (3) the effects of chronic pain reductions on subjective well-being; and (4) efficiency of a home-/community-based exercise intervention. SETTING Exercise in home-/community-based settings; assessments in university-based laboratories in British Columbia, Canada. METHOD Eighty-four adults with chronic SCI, reporting chronic musculoskeletal or neuropathic pain, and not meeting the current SCI exercise guidelines, will be recruited and randomized to a 6-month Exercise or Wait-List Control condition. Exercise will occur in home/community settings and will be supported through behavioral counseling. All measures will be taken at baseline, 3-months and 6-months. Analyses will consist of linear mixed effect models, multiple regression analyses and a cost-utility analysis. The economic evaluation will examine the incremental costs and health benefits generated by the intervention compared with usual care. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION The University of British Columbia Clinical Research Ethics Board approved the protocol (#H19-01650). Using an integrated knowledge translation approach, stakeholders will be engaged throughout the trial and will co-create and disseminate evidence-based recommendations and messages regarding the use of exercise to manage SCI chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen A Martin Ginis
- Department of Medicine, Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- School of Health and Exercise Sciences, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada.
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada.
| | - Jan W van der Scheer
- Department of Medicine, Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- School of Health and Exercise Sciences, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada
| | - Kendra R Todd
- School of Health and Exercise Sciences, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Jennifer C Davis
- Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada
- Social & Economic Change Laboratory, Faculty of Management; Centre for Hip Health and Mobility, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada
| | - Sonja Gaudet
- Spinal Cord Injury British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association; Canadian Paralympic Committee Alumni/3 X Paralympic Gold Medalist, Vernon, BC, Canada
| | - Femke Hoekstra
- School of Health and Exercise Sciences, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Mohammad Ehsanul Karim
- School of Population and Public Health and Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, Providence Health Care, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - John L K Kramer
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Jonathan Peter Little
- School of Health and Exercise Sciences, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada
- Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada
| | - Joel Singer
- School of Population and Public Health, UBC; Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Andrea Townson
- Department of Medicine, Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Christopher R West
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada
- Department of Cell & Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, Canada
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Abstract
Neuropathic pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system is a common chronic pain condition with major impact on quality of life. Examples include trigeminal neuralgia, painful polyneuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia, and central poststroke pain. Most patients complain of an ongoing or intermittent spontaneous pain of, for example, burning, pricking, squeezing quality, which may be accompanied by evoked pain, particular to light touch and cold. Ectopic activity in, for example, nerve-end neuroma, compressed nerves or nerve roots, dorsal root ganglia, and the thalamus may in different conditions underlie the spontaneous pain. Evoked pain may spread to neighboring areas, and the underlying pathophysiology involves peripheral and central sensitization. Maladaptive structural changes and a number of cell-cell interactions and molecular signaling underlie the sensitization of nociceptive pathways. These include alteration in ion channels, activation of immune cells, glial-derived mediators, and epigenetic regulation. The major classes of therapeutics include drugs acting on α2δ subunits of calcium channels, sodium channels, and descending modulatory inhibitory pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanna Brix Finnerup
- Danish Pain Research Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Neurology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; and Department of Pharmacology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rohini Kuner
- Danish Pain Research Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Neurology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; and Department of Pharmacology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Troels Staehelin Jensen
- Danish Pain Research Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Neurology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; and Department of Pharmacology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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34
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Phelps CE, Navratilova E, Dickenson AH, Porreca F, Bannister K. Kappa opioid signaling in the right central amygdala causes hind paw specific loss of diffuse noxious inhibitory controls in experimental neuropathic pain. Pain 2020; 160:1614-1621. [PMID: 30870321 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNICs) is a pain-inhibits-pain phenomenon demonstrated in humans and animals. Diffuse noxious inhibitory control is diminished in many chronic pain states, including neuropathic pain. The efficiency of DNIC has been suggested to prospectively predict both the likelihood of pain chronification and treatment response. Little is known as to why DNIC is dysfunctional in neuropathic pain. Here, we evaluated DNIC in the rat L5/L6 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) model of chronic pain using both behavioral and electrophysiological outcomes. For behavior, nociceptive thresholds were determined using response to noxious paw pressure on both hind paws as the test stimulus before, and after, injection of a conditioning stimulus of capsaicin into the left forepaw. Functionally, the spike firing of spinal wide-dynamic-range neuronal activity was evaluated before and during noxious ear pinch, while stimulating the ipsilateral paw with von Frey hairs of increased bending force. In both assays, the DNIC response was significantly diminished in the ipsilateral (ie, injured) paw of SNL animals. However, behavioral loss of DNIC was not observed on the contralateral (ie, uninjured) paw. Systemic application of nor-binaltorphimine, a kappa opioid antagonist, did not ameliorate SNL-induced hyperalgesia but reversed loss of the behavioral DNIC response. Microinjection of nor-binaltorphimine into the right central amygdala (RCeA) of SNL rats did not affect baseline thresholds but restored DNIC both behaviorally and electrophysiologically. Cumulatively, these data suggest that net enhanced descending facilitations may be mediated by kappa opioid receptor signaling from the right central amygdala to promote diminished DNIC after neuropathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline E Phelps
- Department of Pharmacology, Arizona Health Sciences Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Edita Navratilova
- Department of Pharmacology, Arizona Health Sciences Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Anthony H Dickenson
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Frank Porreca
- Department of Pharmacology, Arizona Health Sciences Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Kirsty Bannister
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
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35
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Tsur N, Defrin R, Shahar G, Solomon Z. Dysfunctional pain perception and modulation among torture survivors: The role of pain personification. J Affect Disord 2020; 265:10-17. [PMID: 31957687 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.01.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 01/11/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Individuals exposed to trauma, especially those who develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are at a higher risk of suffering from chronic pain as well as altered pain perception and modulation. However, the underlying mechanisms of these processes are yet to be established. Recent findings have indicated that trauma survivors tend to personify chronic pain that is developed after the exposure, in a way that resonates with the traumatic experience. The aim of this study was to test whether pain personification plays a significant role in explaining the long-term links between trauma, PTSD and pain. METHODS This study is part of a large-scale longitudinal study on ex-prisoners of war (ex-POWs) from the 1973 Yom-Kippur war, who were followed over 35 years after the war. Fifty-nine ex-POWs who were exposed to torture and 44 matched combatants were assessed for PTSD at 18, 30, and 35 post-war. Quantitative somatosensory testing of heat-pain threshold, pain tolerance, conditioned pain modulation (CPM), and temporal summation of pain (TSP), as well as torturing personification, were assessed at 35 years after the war. RESULTS Sequential mediation analyses revealed that the associations between torture and heat pain threshold, as well as pain tolerance were mediated by PTSD at several time-points (-1.43<indirect effect < 1.47). Torturing personification significantly mediated the associations between torture, PTSD, CPM and TSP (-0.16 < indirect effect). CONCLUSIONS These findings point to the effect of trauma on the subjective orientation towards bodily signals as a key factor in dysfunctional pain modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noga Tsur
- The Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
| | - Ruth Defrin
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
| | - Golan Shahar
- Stress, Self & Health (STREALTH) Lab, Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel
| | - Zahava Solomon
- The Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Israel; I-CORE Research Center for Mass Trauma, Tel Aviv University, Israel
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36
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Excessive daytime sleepiness in adults with spinal cord injury and associations with pain catastrophizing and pain intensity. Spinal Cord 2020; 58:831-839. [PMID: 32001797 DOI: 10.1038/s41393-020-0425-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
STUDY DESIGN Pre-post cohort mixed factorial design. OBJECTIVE Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and chronic pain are major problems for people with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the relationship between chronic pain and EDS requires clarification. The goal of the study was to determine associations between pain catastrophizing (PC) and pain intensity (PI) with EDS in adults with SCI. SETTING New South Wales, Australia. METHODS Participants included 45 adults with SCI and 44 able-bodied controls. The relationship between PI, PC, and EDS was explored by determining the influence of PC and PI on the performance of both groups in a behavioral test of EDS called the Oxford Sleep Resistance Test. PC and PI were assessed by self-report. The association between EDS, pain, and other relevant factors like fatigue and mood was established using multidimensional scaling in the SCI group data. RESULTS PC was found to have a significant association with EDS, with 33.3% falling asleep in the SCI group with low PC, compared with 70% in those with high PC. Only 10% of the controls fell asleep regardless of PC. PI did not significantly influence EDS in either group. Multidimensional scaling showed EDS was closely related to PC, PI, pain interference, fatigue, and mood. CONCLUSIONS PC appears to be strongly associated with EDS in SCI. Findings suggest significant sleep benefits may occur in adults with SCI by treating cognitive biases like PC, as well as addressing associated factors like fatigue, pain interference, low mood, and so on.
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Regional Hyperexcitability and Chronic Neuropathic Pain Following Spinal Cord Injury. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2020; 40:861-878. [PMID: 31955281 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-020-00785-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes maladaptive changes to nociceptive synaptic circuits within the injured spinal cord. Changes also occur at remote regions including the brain stem, limbic system, cortex, and dorsal root ganglia. These maladaptive nociceptive synaptic circuits frequently cause neuronal hyperexcitability in the entire nervous system and enhance nociceptive transmission, resulting in chronic central neuropathic pain following SCI. The underlying mechanism of chronic neuropathic pain depends on the neuroanatomical structures and electrochemical communication between pre- and postsynaptic neuronal membranes, and propagation of synaptic transmission in the ascending pain pathways. In the nervous system, neurons are the only cell type that transmits nociceptive signals from peripheral receptors to supraspinal systems due to their neuroanatomical and electrophysiological properties. However, the entire range of nociceptive signaling is not mediated by any single neuron. Current literature describes regional studies of electrophysiological or neurochemical mechanisms for enhanced nociceptive transmission post-SCI, but few studies report the electrophysiological, neurochemical, and neuroanatomical changes across the entire nervous system following a regional SCI. We, along with others, have continuously described the enhanced nociceptive transmission in the spinal dorsal horn, brain stem, thalamus, and cortex in SCI-induced chronic central neuropathic pain condition, respectively. Thus, this review summarizes the current understanding of SCI-induced neuronal hyperexcitability and maladaptive nociceptive transmission in the entire nervous system that contributes to chronic central neuropathic pain.
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Palandi J, Bobinski F, de Oliveira GM, Ilha J. Neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury and physical exercise in animal models: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 108:781-795. [PMID: 31837360 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the effects of physical exercise on neuropathic pain (NP) in animal models of SCI. The search was conducted in Medline and Science Direct to identify experimental preclinical studies involving animal models of SCI, physical exercise as an intervention and the assessment of NP. Fifteen articles met the eligibility criteria. The review shows that in studies of NP involving animal models of SCI, rodents are the most common species. Thoracic contusion is the most common injury and mechanical and thermal nociception are the most frequently assessed NP components. The benefits of physical exercise vary according to its starting period and total duration. In addition, there is considerable heterogeneity regarding the type and intensity of exercise capable of alleviating NP after SCI. Furthermore, physical exercise has beneficial effects on mechanical, thermal and cold nociception, and spontaneous pain. These results are weakened by the paucity of studies involving these pain outcomes. The review protocol is published for free access on the SyRF platform (http://syrf.org.uk/protocols/).
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliete Palandi
- Physical Therapy Graduate Program, Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health and Sport Science, Santa Catarina State University (UDESC), Florianópolis, 88080-350, SC, Brazil; Spinal Cord Injury Research Group, Neuromotor System Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health and Sport Science, Santa Catarina State University (UDESC), Florianópolis, 88080-350, SC, Brazil
| | - Franciane Bobinski
- Physical Therapy Graduate Program, Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health and Sport Science, Santa Catarina State University (UDESC), Florianópolis, 88080-350, SC, Brazil; Experimental Neuroscience Laboratory, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern of Santa Catarina (UNISUL), Palhoça, 88137-272, SC, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Martins de Oliveira
- Spinal Cord Injury Research Group, Neuromotor System Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health and Sport Science, Santa Catarina State University (UDESC), Florianópolis, 88080-350, SC, Brazil
| | - Jocemar Ilha
- Physical Therapy Graduate Program, Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health and Sport Science, Santa Catarina State University (UDESC), Florianópolis, 88080-350, SC, Brazil; Spinal Cord Injury Research Group, Neuromotor System Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health and Sport Science, Santa Catarina State University (UDESC), Florianópolis, 88080-350, SC, Brazil.
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Defrin R, Cohen Sagy N, Biran I, Goor-Aryeh I, Shai R, Ginzburg K. Enhanced pain modulation capacity among individuals with borderline personality disorder: A possible mechanism underlying their hypoalgesia. Eur J Pain 2019; 24:544-554. [PMID: 31702076 DOI: 10.1002/ejp.1504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ample evidence suggests that individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) exhibit hyposensitivity to pain. Since the underlying mechanism of the pain hyposensitivity is unknown, we tested here for the first time whether this hyposensitivity is pain specific or exists also for innocuous sensation, and whether it is associated with enhanced descending pain modulation capabilities. METHODS Participants were 55 women; 22 patients with BPD and 33 matched healthy controls. Testing included the measurement of warmth sensation threshold (WST), heat-pain threshold (HPT), pain adaptation, conditioned pain modulation (CPM) and temporal summation of heat-pain (TSP). The level of dissociation was also evaluated. RESULTS Women with BPD had higher WST and HPT compared with healthy controls. Moreover, women with BPD had greater magnitude of pain adaptation and CPM as well as higher dissociation level compared to controls. In neither the BPD nor the control group did WST and HPT correlate with pain adaptation, CPM or dissociation. In the BPD group only, HPT inversely correlated with the magnitude of TSP. CONCLUSIONS Women with BPD present generalized hyposensitivity to both innocuous and noxious stimuli. Furthermore, women with BPD exhibit more efficient pain inhibition capabilities than healthy controls. While efficient pain modulation may underlie pain hyposensitivity in BPD, both traits may exist independently from each other, or may be moderated by another factor such as dissociation. SIGNIFICANCE On the basis of testing pronociceptive and antinociceptive components among individuals with BPD and healthy controls, this study reveals enhanced ability to inhibit pain among woman with borderline personality disorder (BPD) which may underlie hyposensitivity to both noxious and innocuous stimuli and perhaps also self-injurious behaviour among these individuals. The study contributes novel information on possible mechanisms involved in BPD manifestations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Defrin
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Sagol School of Neurosciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Nitzan Cohen Sagy
- School of Psychological Sciences, Gershon H. Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Iftah Biran
- Division of Psychiatry, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan, and The Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Itay Goor-Aryeh
- Pain Management Center, Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Roni Shai
- The Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Karni Ginzburg
- The Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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40
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41
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Deficient Inhibitory Endogenous Pain Modulation Correlates With Periaqueductal Gray Matter Metabolites During Chronic Whiplash Injury. Clin J Pain 2019; 35:668-677. [DOI: 10.1097/ajp.0000000000000722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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42
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Conditioned pain modulation as a biomarker of chronic pain: a systematic review of its concurrent validity. Pain 2019; 160:2679-2690. [DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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Scheuren PS, Gagné M, Jutzeler CR, Rosner J, Mercier C, Kramer JLK. Tracking Changes in Neuropathic Pain After Acute Spinal Cord Injury. Front Neurol 2019; 10:90. [PMID: 30837931 PMCID: PMC6382744 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2019.00090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropathic pain represents a primary detrimental outcome of spinal cord injury. A major challenge facing effective management is a lack of surrogate measures to examine the physiology and anatomy of neuropathic pain. To this end, we investigated the relationship between psychophysical responses to tonic heat stimulation and neuropathic pain rating after traumatic spinal cord injury. Subjects provided a continuous rating to 2 min of tonic heat at admission to rehabilitation and again at discharge. Adaptation, temporal summation of pain, and modulation profile (i.e., the relationship between adaptation and temporal summation of pain) were extracted from tonic heat curves for each subject. There was no association between any of the tonic heat outcomes and neuropathic pain severity at admission. The degree of adaptation, the degree of temporal summation of pain, and the modulation profile did not change significantly from admission to discharge. However, changes in modulation profiles between admission and discharge were significantly correlated with changes in neuropathic pain severity (p = 0.027; R2 = 0.323). The modulation profile may represent an effective measure to track changes in neuropathic pain severity from early to later stages of spinal cord injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulina Simonne Scheuren
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Spinal Cord Injury Center, University Hospital Balgrist, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Martin Gagné
- The Interdisciplinary Center for Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Quebec, QC, Canada
| | - Catherine Ruth Jutzeler
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Jan Rosner
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, University Hospital Balgrist, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Catherine Mercier
- The Interdisciplinary Center for Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Quebec, QC, Canada.,Department of Rehabilitation, Laval University, Quebec, QC, Canada
| | - John Lawrence Kipling Kramer
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Du XJ, Chen YX, Zheng ZC, Wang N, Wang XY, Kong FE. Neural stem cell transplantation inhibits glial cell proliferation and P2X receptor-mediated neuropathic pain in spinal cord injury rats. Neural Regen Res 2019; 14:876-885. [PMID: 30688274 PMCID: PMC6375052 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.249236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
P2X4 and P2X7 receptors play an important role in neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury. Regulation of P2X4 and P2X7 receptors can obviously reduce pain hypersensitivity after injury. To investigate the role of neural stem cell transplantation on P2X receptor-mediated neuropathic pain and explore related mechanisms, a rat model of spinal cord injury was prepared using the free-falling heavy body method with spinal cord segment 10 as the center. Neural stem cells were injected into the injured spinal cord segment using a micro-syringe. Expression levels of P2X4 and P2X7 receptors, neurofilament protein, and glial fibrillary acidic protein were determined by immunohistochemistry and western blot assay. In addition, sensory function was quantitatively assessed by current perception threshold. The Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan locomotor rating scale was used to assess neuropathological pain. The results showed that 4 weeks after neural stem cell transplantation, expression of neurofilament protein in the injured segment was markedly increased, while expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein and P2X4 and P2X7 receptors was decreased. At this time point, motor and sensory functions of rats were obviously improved, and neuropathic pain was alleviated. These findings demonstrated that neural stem cell transplantation reduced overexpression of P2X4 and P2X7 receptors, activated locomotor and sensory function reconstruction, and played an important role in neuropathic pain regulation after spinal cord injury. Therefore, neural stem cell transplantation is one potential option for relieving neuropathic pain mediated by P2X receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Jing Du
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, the Central Hospital of Taian, Taian, Shandong Province, China
| | - Yue-Xia Chen
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, the Central Hospital of Taian, Taian, Shandong Province, China
| | - Zun-Cheng Zheng
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, the Central Hospital of Taian, Taian, Shandong Province, China
| | - Nan Wang
- Graduate School, Taishan Medical University, Taian, Shandong Province, China
| | - Xiao-Yu Wang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, the Central Hospital of Taian, Taian, Shandong Province, China
| | - Fan-E Kong
- Graduate School, Taishan Medical University, Taian, Shandong Province, China
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Shiao R, Lee-Kubli CA. Neuropathic Pain After Spinal Cord Injury: Challenges and Research Perspectives. Neurotherapeutics 2018; 15:635-653. [PMID: 29736857 PMCID: PMC6095789 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-018-0633-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropathic pain is a debilitating consequence of spinal cord injury (SCI) that remains difficult to treat because underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood. In part, this is due to limitations of evaluating neuropathic pain in animal models in general, and SCI rodents in particular. Though pain in patients is primarily spontaneous, with relatively few patients experiencing evoked pains, animal models of SCI pain have primarily relied upon evoked withdrawals. Greater use of operant tasks for evaluation of the affective dimension of pain in rodents is needed, but these tests have their own limitations such that additional studies of the relationship between evoked withdrawals and operant outcomes are recommended. In preclinical SCI models, enhanced reflex withdrawal or pain responses can arise from pathological changes that occur at any point along the sensory neuraxis. Use of quantitative sensory testing for identification of optimal treatment approach may yield improved identification of treatment options and clinical trial design. Additionally, a better understanding of the differences between mechanisms contributing to at- versus below-level neuropathic pain and neuropathic pain versus spasticity may shed insights into novel treatment options. Finally, the role of patient characteristics such as age and sex in pathogenesis of neuropathic SCI pain remains to be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rani Shiao
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines, La Jolla, California, 92073, USA
| | - Corinne A Lee-Kubli
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines, La Jolla, California, 92073, USA.
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Abstract
Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Inhibitors of leukocyte elastase inhibit spontaneous and evoked pain behaviors in mouse models of chronic pain of neuropathic, cancer, and diabetic origins. Neuropathic pain is an integral component of several chronic pain conditions and poses a major health problem worldwide. Despite emerging understanding of mechanisms behind neuropathic pain, the available treatment options are still limited in efficacy or associated with side effects, therefore making it necessary to find viable alternatives. In a genetic screen, we recently identified SerpinA3N, a serine protease inhibitor secreted in response to nerve damage by the dorsal root ganglion neurons and we showed that SerpinA3N acts against induction of neuropathic pain by inhibiting the T-cell- and neutrophil-derived protease, leucocyte elastase (LE). In the current study, via detailed in vivo pharmacology combined with analyses of evoked- and spontaneous pain-related behaviors in mice, we report that on systemic delivery, a single dose of 3 independent LE inhibitors can block established nociceptive hypersensitivity in early and late phases in the spared nerve injury model of traumatic neuropathic pain in mice. We further report the strong efficacy of systemic LE inhibitors in reversing ongoing pain in 2 other clinically relevant mouse models—painful diabetic neuropathy and cancer pain. Detailed immunohistochemical analyses on the peripheral tissue samples revealed that both T-Lymphocytes and neutrophils are the sources of LE on peripheral nerve injury, whereas neutrophils are the primary source of LE in diabetic neuropathic conditions. In summary, our results provide compelling evidence for a strong therapeutic potential of generic LE inhibitors for the treatment of neuropathic pain and other chronic pain conditions harboring a neuropathic pain component.
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Levy D, Abdian L, Dekel-Steinkeller M, Defrin R. Experimental evidence for weaker endogenous inhibition of trigeminal pain than extra-trigeminal pain in healthy individuals. Cephalalgia 2018; 38:1307-1315. [PMID: 28990805 PMCID: PMC10266236 DOI: 10.1177/0333102417735851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Background and objectives The prevalence of pain syndromes that affect the territories innervated by the trigeminal nerve, such as headaches, is one of the highest and ranks second only to low back pain. A potential mechanism underlying this high prevalence may be a relatively weak endogenous pain modulation of trigeminal pain. Here, we sought to systematically compare endogenous pain modulation capabilities in the trigeminal region to those of extra-trigeminal regions in healthy subjects. Methods Healthy, pain free subjects (n = 17) underwent a battery of quantitative sensory testing to assess endogenous pain inhibition and pain enhancement efficiencies within and outside the trigeminal innervated region. Measurements included conditioned pain modulation (CPM), temporal summation of pain (TSP) and spatial summation of pain (SSP). Results Testing configurations that included trigeminal-innervated body regions displayed significantly weaker CPM when compared to extra-trigeminal innervated areas. SSP magnitude was smaller in the ophthalmic trigeminal innervation when compared to other body regions. TSP magnitude was not different between the different body regions tested. Conclusions Our findings point to regional differences in endogenous pain inhibition and suggest that in otherwise healthy individuals, the trigeminal innervation is subjected to a weaker inhibitory pain control than other body regions. Such weaker endogenous pain control could play, at least in part, a role in mediating the high prevalence of trigeminal-related pain syndromes, including primary headaches and TMD pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Levy
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lorin Abdian
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Michal Dekel-Steinkeller
- The Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Ruth Defrin
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
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Brill S, Sprecher E, Smith FJD, Geva N, Gruener H, Nahman-Averbuch H, Defrin R. Chronic pain in pachyonychia congenita: evidence for neuropathic origin. Br J Dermatol 2018; 179:154-162. [PMID: 29210461 DOI: 10.1111/bjd.16217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pachyonychia congenita (PC) is a rare autosomal dominant skin disease, with chronic pain being the most prominent complaint. Histological studies showing alterations in sensory innervation, along with reports on alterations in mechanical sensitivity, suggest that PC may be a form of neuropathy. OBJECTIVES Here, for the first time, we aim to evaluate systematically the sensory function of patients with PC vs. controls, in order to investigate the pathophysiology of PC. METHODS Patients (n = 62) and controls (n = 45) completed the McGill and Douleur Neuropathique-4 (DN4) questionnaires. Sensory testing included detection and pain thresholds, pathological sensations, conditioned pain modulation (CPM) and temporal summation of pain. RESULTS A moderate-to-severe chronic pain in the feet, throbbing and stabbing in quality, was highly prevalent among patients with PC (86%) and was especially debilitating during weight bearing. In addition, the majority of patients had a DN4 score ≥ 4 (62%), static allodynia (55%) and tingling (53%) in the feet. Compared with controls, patients with PC exhibited thermal and mechanical hypoaesthesia and mechanical hyperalgesia in the feet. CPM was reduced among the patients, and was associated with more enhanced mechanical hyperalgesia in the feet. The specific gene and nature of the causative mutation did not affect any of these features. CONCLUSIONS Although thermal and mechanical hypoaesthesia may result from thicker skin, its presentation in painful regions, along with mechanical hyperalgesia and allodynia, point towards the possibility of neuropathic changes occurring in PC. The clinical features and DN4 scores support this possibility and therefore neuropathic pain medications may be beneficial for patients with PC.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Brill
- Center for Pain Medicine, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - E Sprecher
- Department of Dermatology, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.,Department of Dermatology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - F J D Smith
- Pachyonychia Congenita Project, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, U.K
| | - N Geva
- Department of Physical Therapy, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - H Gruener
- Department of Physical Therapy, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - H Nahman-Averbuch
- Department of Anesthesia, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, U.S.A
| | - R Defrin
- Department of Physical Therapy, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel
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Arendt‐Nielsen L, Morlion B, Perrot S, Dahan A, Dickenson A, Kress H, Wells C, Bouhassira D, Drewes AM. Assessment and manifestation of central sensitisation across different chronic pain conditions. Eur J Pain 2018; 22:216-241. [DOI: 10.1002/ejp.1140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 403] [Impact Index Per Article: 67.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/30/2023]
Abstract
AbstractDifferent neuroplastic processes can occur along the nociceptive pathways and may be important in the transition from acute to chronic pain and for diagnosis and development of optimal management strategies. The neuroplastic processes may result in gain (sensitisation) or loss (desensitisation) of function in relation to the incoming nociceptive signals. Such processes play important roles in chronic pain, and although the clinical manifestations differ across condition processes, they share some common mechanistic features. The fundamental understanding and quantitative assessment of particularly some of the central sensitisation mechanisms can be translated from preclinical studies into the clinic. The clinical perspectives are implementation of such novel information into diagnostics, mechanistic phenotyping, prevention, personalised treatment, and drug development. The aims of this paper are to introduce and discuss (1) some common fundamental central pain mechanisms, (2) how they may translate into the clinical signs and symptoms across different chronic pain conditions, (3) how to evaluate gain and loss of function using quantitative pain assessment tools, and (4) the implications for optimising prevention and management of pain. The chronic pain conditions selected for the paper are neuropathic pain in general, musculoskeletal pain (chronic low back pain and osteoarthritic pain in particular), and visceral pain (irritable bowel syndrome in particular). The translational mechanisms addressed are local and widespread sensitisation, central summation, and descending pain modulation.SignificanceCentral sensitisation is an important manifestation involved in many different chronic pain conditions. Central sensitisation can be different to assess and evaluate as the manifestations vary from pain condition to pain condition. Understanding central sensitisation may promote better profiling and diagnosis of pain patients and development of new regimes for mechanism based therapy. Some of the mechanisms underlying central sensitisation can be translated from animals to humans providing new options in development of therapies and profiling drugs under development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - B. Morlion
- The Leuven Centre for Algology University Hospitals Leuven University of Leuven Belgium
| | - S. Perrot
- INSERM U987 Pain Center Cochin Hospital Paris Descartes University Paris France
| | - A. Dahan
- Department of Anesthesiology Leiden University Medical Center Leiden The Netherlands
| | - A. Dickenson
- Neuroscience Physiology & Pharmacology University College London UK
| | - H.G. Kress
- Department of Special Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy Medizinische Universität/AKH Wien Vienna Austria
| | | | - D. Bouhassira
- INSERM U987 Centre d'Evaluation et de Traitement de la Douleur Hôpital Ambroise Paré Boulogne Billancourt France
| | - A. Mohr Drewes
- Mech‐Sense Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Clinical Institute Aalborg University Hospital Aalborg Denmark
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50
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Kashi Y, Ratmansky M, Defrin R. Deficient Pain Modulation in Patients with Chronic Hemiplegic Shoulder Pain. Pain Pract 2018; 18:716-728. [DOI: 10.1111/papr.12658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Revised: 10/14/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yafit Kashi
- Department of Physical Therapy; Loewenstein Rehabilitation Hospital; Raanana Israel
- Department of Physical Therapy; Sackler Faculty of Medicine; Tel-Aviv University; Tel-Aviv Israel
| | - Motti Ratmansky
- Department of Physical Therapy; Sackler Faculty of Medicine; Tel-Aviv University; Tel-Aviv Israel
- Pain Rehabilitation Unit; Loewenstein Rehabilitation Hospital; Raanana Israel
| | - Ruth Defrin
- Department of Physical Therapy; Sackler Faculty of Medicine; Tel-Aviv University; Tel-Aviv Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience; Tel-Aviv University; Tel-Aviv Israel
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