Mechanisms of Spinal Cord Stimulation to Treat Neuropathic Pain
Submission Type
Event
Expected Graduation Date
2015
Location
Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Start Date
4-18-2015 2:00 PM
End Date
4-18-2015 3:00 PM
Disciplines
Psychology
Abstract
Chronic pain of neuropathic origin affects millions of people throughout the world every year. One potential treatment for neuropathic pain is Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS), which involves implanting a small series of electrodes in the spinal canal atop the dorsal aspect of the spinal cord. The electric field produced by this electrode modulates the transmission of pain signals. SCS has enjoyed modest clinical success in treating patients with chronic neuropathic pain conditions in which conservative treatments and/or surgical interventions have failed. However, the biological mechanism underlying the therapeutic benefits of SCS is poorly understood. The present study aims to better establish the mechanism by analyzing the changes induced by SCS on protein expression within nervous system tissue. A well-established animal model of neuropathic pain paired with reliable behavioral assessment techniques were used to verify the therapeutic benefits of SCS. Following treatment, nervous tissues were extracted and subjected to Proteomic analysis. Results will be presented examining the effects of SCS on the expression of proteins related to transmission of pain. AMPA receptor proteins which are thought to be responsible for neuronal excitability, NMDA receptors proteins which are thought to be responsible for maintaining pathological pain circuits, and numerous nucleotide-modifying proteins which have been implicated in cellular signaling are some proteins hypothesized to mediate the mechanism of SCS.
Mechanisms of Spinal Cord Stimulation to Treat Neuropathic Pain
Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Chronic pain of neuropathic origin affects millions of people throughout the world every year. One potential treatment for neuropathic pain is Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS), which involves implanting a small series of electrodes in the spinal canal atop the dorsal aspect of the spinal cord. The electric field produced by this electrode modulates the transmission of pain signals. SCS has enjoyed modest clinical success in treating patients with chronic neuropathic pain conditions in which conservative treatments and/or surgical interventions have failed. However, the biological mechanism underlying the therapeutic benefits of SCS is poorly understood. The present study aims to better establish the mechanism by analyzing the changes induced by SCS on protein expression within nervous system tissue. A well-established animal model of neuropathic pain paired with reliable behavioral assessment techniques were used to verify the therapeutic benefits of SCS. Following treatment, nervous tissues were extracted and subjected to Proteomic analysis. Results will be presented examining the effects of SCS on the expression of proteins related to transmission of pain. AMPA receptor proteins which are thought to be responsible for neuronal excitability, NMDA receptors proteins which are thought to be responsible for maintaining pathological pain circuits, and numerous nucleotide-modifying proteins which have been implicated in cellular signaling are some proteins hypothesized to mediate the mechanism of SCS.