Neurogastroenterology and motility : the official journal of the European Gastrointestinal Motility Society
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Neurogastroenterol. Motil. · Jul 2020
Peripheral mechanisms contribute to comorbid visceral hypersensitivity induced by preexisting orofacial pain and stress in female rats.
Stress exacerbates many chronic pain syndromes including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Among these patient populations, many suffer from comorbid or chronic overlapping pain conditions and are predominantly female. Nevertheless, basic studies investigating chronic psychological stress-induced changes in pain sensitivity have been mostly carried out in male rodents. Our laboratory developed a model of comorbid pain hypersensitivity (CPH) (stress in the presence of preexisting orofacial pain inducing chronic visceral pain hypersensitivity that significantly outlasts transient stress-induced pain hypersensitivity (SIH)) facilitating the study of pain associated with IBS. Since CPH and SIH are phenotypically similar until SIH resolves and CPH persists, it is unclear if underlying mechanisms are similar. ⋯ The data indicate many similarities but some differences in mechanisms contributing to comorbid pain conditions compared to transient stress-induced pain.