ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE ANTINOCICEPTIVE EFFECT OF TRANSCUTANEOUS ELECTRICAL-STIMULATION ON MECHANICALLY EVOKED RESPONSIVENESSOF DORSAL HORN NEURONS IN NEUROPATHIC RATS
Jw. Leem et al., ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE ANTINOCICEPTIVE EFFECT OF TRANSCUTANEOUS ELECTRICAL-STIMULATION ON MECHANICALLY EVOKED RESPONSIVENESSOF DORSAL HORN NEURONS IN NEUROPATHIC RATS, Neuroscience letters, 192(3), 1995, pp. 197-200
Using a rat model of peripheral neuropathy induced by a tight ligation
of L5-6 spinal nerves, the effects of transcutaneous electrical stimu
lation on the mechanical responses of wide dynamic range (WDR) dorsal
horn neurons were investigated. The responses of the WDR neurons to bo
th the brush and pinch stimuli were found to be enhanced in the neurop
athic rats compared to those in the normal rats. These enhanced respon
ses were depressed by low-frequency and high-intensity transcutaneous
electrical stimulation (2 Hz, 4-5 mA) applied to the somatic receptive
field. The durations of the depressive effects on the brush responses
ranged between 30 and 45 min and those on the pinch responses were 60
-90 min. These results imply that the transcutaneous electrical stimul
ation used here produces an antinociceptive effect via a depressive ac
tion on the enhanced mechanical responsiveness of the spinal neurons i
n this rat model of peripheral neuropathy.