Neuroscience letters
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Neuroscience letters · Apr 1989
Chronic amitriptyline decreases autotomy following dorsal rhizotomy in rats.
In the rat, unilateral dorsal cervicothoracic rhizotomy (C5-T1), a proposed model of chronic pain, resulted in autotomy of the ipsilateral limb. The self-mutilation lesions were evaluated daily by means of an autotomy score from the 1st to the 80th postoperatory day. ⋯ A more pronounced effect was observed with the lowest dose of amitriptyline suggesting the existence of a therapeutic window. Possible mechanisms for the antinociceptive effect of amitriptyline in this model are discussed.