Electrical stimulation of the central gray for pain relief in human: autopsy data.
Anatomopathological studies are reported of 5 brains in which electrical stimulation of the periventricular--periaqueductal gray was applied for the treatment of chronic pain. It was found that the recommended target was reached in 4 cases (only 1 case out of 5 was successful as far as a pain relief is concerned). PtIr electrodes caused little tissue reaction. The chronic stimulation had not provoked lesions observable by light-microscopy.
D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008636:Mesencephalon; D010148:Intractable Pain / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D013788:Thalamus