Experimental brain research. Experimentelle Hirnforschung. Expérimentation cérébrale
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Spatial and temporal aspects of muscle hyperalgesia induced by nerve growth factor in humans.
Intramuscular injection of nerve growth factor (NGF) has been shown to induce long-term sensitisation and time-dependent hyperalgesia indicating potential involvement of both central and peripheral pain mechanisms. This double-blind placebo-controlled study was designed to describe the spatial distribution of muscle hyperalgesia over time (immediately after, 3 h, 1, 4, 7 and 21 days) after injecting NGF (5 mug) into the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle, to explore possibly involved central pain mechanisms and to investigate the effect of gender on development of hyperalgesia. Totally 20 healthy volunteers (10 men and 10 women) participated in the study. ⋯ Injection of NGF increased muscle soreness during muscle activity for 7 days. In this material there was no gender effect of NGF-induced muscle hyperalgesia. The expansion of muscle hyperalgesia to distant areas indicates that central mechanisms are involved.