Pain Management Research

KEY FINDING: Microglia participate in the onset, maintenance, mediation, and expansion of neuropathic pain. Inhibiting microglial cell activity in neuropathic pain models leads to milder pain.

KEY FINDING: Muscimol significantly reduces mechanical allodynia (SMD = 1.78 [1.45–2.11]; P < 0.0001; I2 = 72.70%), mechanical hyperalgesia (SMD = 1.62 [1.28–1.96]; P < 0.0001; I2 = 40.66%), and thermal hyperalgesia (SMD = 2.59 [1.79–3.39]; P < 0.0001; I2 = 80.33%).

KEY FINDING: Intrathecal delivery of activated Tregs reduced mechanical pain hypersensitivity and improved exploratory behaviors in both male and female mice following chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve.

KEY FINDING: There was a significant reduction in pain intensity from baseline to 3 weeks (p = 0.021) and from baseline to 6 weeks (p = 0.011).

KEY FINDING: Early isoflurane exposure enhances sensitivity for mechanical and thermal stimuli in a chronic pain model caused by SNI.

KEY FINDING: Interventional pain procedures can lead to nerve or vascular injuries, spinal cord trauma, and epidural abscesses, though these are rare.

KEY FINDING: Exercise significantly improves mechanical allodynia, thermal hyperalgesia, and cold allodynia in rodent models of SCI.

KEY FINDING: A spinal-specific super enhancer (SS-SE) was identified that regulates CCI-induced neuropathic pain by driving Ntmt1 and Prrx2 transcription in dorsal horn neurons.

KEY FINDING: Systemic administration of NIS-lncRNA ASO significantly alleviated CCI-induced mechanical allodynia, heat hyperalgesia, and cold hyperalgesia in mice.

KEY FINDING: Peripheral nerve injury leads to the release of primary inflammatory mediators, activating immunocompetent cells and causing neuroinflammation.