Neuroreport
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Comparative Study
Sympathetic sprouting in sensory ganglia depends on the number of injured neurons.
We examined whether the extent of sympathetic sprouting in the dorsal root ganglion was a function of the number of injured nerve fibers. We compared two groups of rats. ⋯ However, there was no difference in the severity of neuropathic pain behaviors between the two groups. These results suggest that the extent of sympathetic sprouting in the DRG following peripheral nerve injury is proportionally related to the amount of injured nerve fibers, but not related to the degree of neuropathic pain behaviors.
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Comparative Study
Histamine-induced itch converts into pain in neuropathic hyperalgesia.
Physiologically, itch and pain are transmitted in separate specific peripheral C-units and central afferent pathways. Some neuropathic pain patients with intact but sensitized (irritable) primary C-nociceptors have spontaneous pain, heat hyperalgesia, static and dynamic mechanical hyperalgesia. The question was whether cutaneous histamine application induces pain in these patients. ⋯ Itch was profoundly inhibited. Conversely, histamine application in neuropathic skin induced severe increase in spontaneous burning pain but no itch. In neuropathies irritable nociceptors may express histamine receptors or induce central sensitization to histaminergic stimuli so that itch converts into pain.