Thalamic stimulation in neuropathic pain: 27 years later

An overview is given of CNS mechanisms which are behind the beneficial effe cts of VPL-VPM thalamic stimulation in the treatment of neuropathic pain. F urther research in this field is urgently needed and the recent possibility to combine Deep Brain Stimulation with positron emission tomography (PET) will certainly help to unravel the brain circuitry implicated in stimulatio n-produced analgesia. Brain stimulation is an artificial way to activate ne rvous tissue that is reversible and when correctly applied has few complica tions. The clinical results warrant a continued dissemination of brain stimulation as a treatment in well selected cases of neuropathic pain.