• Johan Wallin, Atle Fiskå, Arne Tjølsen, Bengt Linderoth, and Kjell Hole.
• Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Section of Neurosurgery, Karolinska Institutet/Hospital, SE-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden. johan.wallin@ks.se
• Brain Res. 2003 May 23;973(1):39-43.

AbstractIt has been suggested that long-term potentiation (LTP) of dorsal horn neurons is a phenomenon that contributes to the development of chronic neuropathic pain. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) may be an effective tool in alleviating such pain. The aim of this electrophysiological study in rats was to examine if SCS suppresses LTP of dorsal horn wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons. Increased knowledge of the mechanisms behind the effects of SCS may facilitate its further advancement and improve clinical efficacy. As previously shown, intensive, high-frequency electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve in the rat induces an increased firing response of WDR neurons. Here we report that SCS gradually reduced this increased C-fiber response back to the baseline level. However, A-fiber responses were neither potentiated by the conditioning stimulus used nor were they affected by SCS. These data suggest that SCS affects the C-fiber component of dorsal horn central sensitization which is noteworthy since SCS, based on previous studies, is believed to primarily influence A-fiber functions.

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