A new look at arthritis management: nociceptive reflex excitability as a pain biomarker
نویسنده
چکیده
Research studies have begun to identify altered neurophysiological mechanisms that develop as a consequence of chronic painful knee arthritis. Neuroplastic changes may occur in nociceptive pathways, thereby contributing to heightened chronic pain and spread of symptoms, as well as diminished quality of life. One biomarker for examining central sensitization of nociceptive pathways is the measurement of flexion reflex excitability, also called the nociceptive reflex. In a recent article in Arthritis Research & Therapy, Rice and colleagues utilize this biomarker to analyze the clinical and neurophysiological effects of a very common and typical medical intervention, joint aspiration and intra-articular corticosteroid injection.
منابع مشابه
The effects of joint aspiration and intra-articular corticosteroid injection on flexion reflex excitability, quadriceps strength and pain in individuals with knee synovitis: a prospective observational study
INTRODUCTION Substantial weakness of the quadriceps muscles is typically observed in patients with arthritis. This is partly due to ongoing neural inhibition that prevents the quadriceps from being fully activated. Evidence from animal studies suggests enhanced flexion reflex excitability may contribute to this weakness. This prospective observational study examined the effects of joint aspirat...
متن کاملCapsaicin-induced muscle pain alters the excitability of the human jaw-stretch reflex.
The pathophysiology of painful temporomandibular disorders is not fully understood, but evidence suggests that muscle pain modulates motor function in characteristic ways. This study tested the hypothesis that activation of nociceptive muscle afferent fibers would be linked to an increased excitability of the human jaw-stretch reflex and whether this process would be sensitive to length and vel...
متن کاملThe relationship between nociceptive brain activity, spinal reflex withdrawal and behaviour in newborn infants
Measuring infant pain is complicated by their inability to describe the experience. While nociceptive brain activity, reflex withdrawal and facial grimacing have been characterised, the relationship between these activity patterns has not been examined. As cortical and spinally mediated activity is developmentally regulated, it cannot be assumed that they are predictive of one another in the im...
متن کاملReliable estimation of nociceptive withdrawal reflex thresholds.
BACKGROUND Assessment of the nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR) is frequently applied to probe the excitability level of the spinal nociceptive circuitry. In humans, the NWR threshold (NWR-T) is often estimated by applying electrical stimulation over the sural nerve at the lateral malleolus. Such stimulation may be associated with substantial pain and discomfort rendering completion of the ass...
متن کاملBrain-derived neurotrophic factor modulates nociceptive sensory inputs and NMDA-evoked responses in the rat spinal cord.
Central sensitization, the hyperexcitability of spinal processing that often accompanies peripheral injury, is a major component of many persistent pain states. Here we report that the neurotrophin, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), is a modulator of excitability within the spinal cord and contributes to the mechanism of central sensitization. BDNF, localized in primary sensory neuron c...
متن کامل