• Andrea Liss, Abigail Hellman, Vraj J Patel, Teresa Maietta, Kanakaharini Byraju, Rachel Trowbridge, Jenica Acheta, Drishti Panse, Adithya Srikanthan, Paul Neubauer, Clif Burdette, Goutam Ghoshal, Emery Williams, Jiang Qian, and Julie G Pilitsis.
• Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA.
• Neuromodulation. 2022 Jun 1; 25 (4): 504510504-510.

ObjectiveChronic pain affects 7%-10% of Americans, occurs more frequently and severely in females, and available treatments have been shown to have less efficacy in female patients. Preclinical models addressing sex-specific treatment differences in the treatment of chronic pain have been limited. Here we examine the sex-specific effects of low intensity focused ultrasound (liFUS) in a modified sciatic nerve injury (SNI) model.Materials And MethodsA modified SNI performed by ligating the common peroneal nerve (CPN) was used to measure sensory, behavioral pain responses, and nerve conduction studies in female and male rats, following liFUS of the L5 dorsal root ganglion.ResultsUsing the same dose of liFUS in females and males of the same weight, CPN latency immediately after treatment was increased for 50 min in females compared to 25 min in males (p < 0.001). Improvements in mechanical pain thresholds after liFUS lasted significantly longer in females (seven days; p < 0.05) compared to males (three days; p < 0.05). In females, there was a significant improvement in depression-like behavior as a result of liFUS (N = 5; p < 0.01); however, because males never developed depression-like behavior there was no change after liFUS treatment.ConclusionsNeuromodulation with liFUS has a greater effect in female rats on CPN latency, mechanical allodynia duration, and depression-like behavior. In order to customize neuromodulatory techniques for different patient phenotypes, it is essential to understand how they may alter sex-specific pathophysiologies.Copyright © 2022 International Neuromodulation Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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