Analgesia for tonic pain by self-administered lateral hypothalamic stimulation.
The present study was designed to determine if analgesia for tonic pain could be induced with self-administered lateral hypothalamic (LH) stimulation. The majority of studies of LH stimulation employed behaviorally non-contingent stimulation. According to some investigators behaviorally non-contingent LH stimulation might be aversive and consequently yield stress-induced analgesia rather than a primary analgesic effect. Other investigators have reported that non-contingent LH stimulation can be rewarding. Our findings indicate that LH analgesia for tonic pain can be obtained with self-administered LH stimulation. These findings indicate that the analgesia we have obtained in previous work is a primary effect and not dependent on stress induced by behaviorally non-contingent LH stimulation.
Lopez
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University of Texas, Department of Psychology, Arlington 76019-0528.
Cox
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D000698:Analgesia / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005557:Formaldehyde; D007026:Hypothalamic Area, Lateral / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000502:physiology; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D059408:Pain Management; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012201:Reward; D012646:Self Administration
D005557:Formaldehyde