European journal of pain : EJP
-
The function of brain networks can be changed in a maladaptive manner in response to chronic neuropathic pain. Analgesics can reduce pain by acting on such networks via direct or indirect (peripheral or spinal) mechanisms. This investigation aimed to map gabapentin's pharmacodynamics (PD) in the rodent brain following induction of neuropathic pain in order to further understand its PD profile. ⋯ Using phMRI and functional connectivity analysis approaches, the PD effects of gabapentin in a preclinical neuropathic pain state were characterized. Furthermore, the current results offer insights on which brain systems gabapentin directly or indirectly acts upon.
-
Expectations for recovery are a known predictor for returning to work. Most studies seem to conclude that the higher the expectancy the better the outcome. However, the development of expectations over time is rarely researched and experimental studies show that realistic expectations rather than high expectancies are the most adaptive. This study aims to explore patterns of stability and change in expectations for recovery during the first weeks of a back-pain episode and how these patterns relate to other psychological variables and outcome. ⋯ Decreases in expectancies for recovery seem as important as baseline values in terms of outcome, which has clinical and theoretical implications.
-
Burrowing is an evolutionarily conserved behaviour in rodents. This study validates a refined burrowing paradigm (requiring a reduced number of animals) in a rat model of sub-chronic knee joint inflammation and evaluates its sensitivity and specificity for analgesic drugs. ⋯ This study provides pharmacological validation of a refined burrowing paradigm for analgesic efficacy that exhibits good predictive validity, with high sensitivity and specificity.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Tropisetron alleviate early post-operative pain after gynecological laparoscopy in sevoflurane based general anaesthesia: A randomized, parallel-group, factorial study.
Studies have suggested that 5-hydroxytryptamine-3A (5-HT-3A) receptor antagonists may have analgesic effects. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, factorial study tested the hypothesis that 5-HT-3A receptor antagonist tropisetron attenuates post-operative pain in women receiving either sevoflurane or propofol based anaesthesia. ⋯ A single-dose intravenous administration of tropisetron after anaesthesia induction is associated with statistically significant decreased early post-operative pain in patients undergoing gynaecological laparoscopies under sevoflurane based general anaesthesia.