• N E Saadé, H Al Amin, S Abdel Baki, S Chalouhi, S J Jabbur, and S F Atweh.
• Department of Human Morphology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon. nesaade@aub.edu.lb
• Exp. Neurol. 2007 Mar 1;204(1):205-19.

Background And AimThalamic somatosensory nuclei have been classified into medial and lateral systems based on their role in nociception. An imbalance between these two systems may result in abnormal somatic sensations and spontaneous pain. This study aims to investigate the effects of transient or permanent block of the medial and intralaminar nuclear groups on the neuropathic-like behavior in a rat model for mononeuropathy.MethodsNeuropathy was induced on one hind paw in different groups of rats following the spared nerve injury model. When the resulting hyperalgesia and allodynia (tactile and cold) reached a maximum plateau, the rats received either chemical or electrolytic lesion or lidocaine (2%) microperfusion, placed in the various thalamic nuclear groups.ResultsAll procedures produced transient but significant decrease of neuropathic manifestations. The magnitude and duration of decrease depended on the type and the site of the block. These effects can be ranked in increasing order as follows, electrolyticConclusionThe observed results demonstrate the involvement of the medial and intralaminar thalamic nuclei in the processing of neuropathic-like manifestations, and the reversibility of the effects suggests the flexibility of the neural network involved in supraspinal processing of nociceptive information.

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