title: Chronic pain following spinal cord injury.
abstract: Most patients with insults to the spinal cord or central nervous system suffer from excruciating, unrelenting, chronic pain that is largely resistant to treatment. This condition affects a large percentage of spinal cord injury patients, and numerous patients with multiple sclerosis, stroke and other conditions. Despite the recent advances in basic science and clinical research the pathophysiological mechanisms of pain following spinal cord injury remain unknown. Here we describe a novel mechanism of loss of inhibition within the thalamus that may predispose for the development of this chronic pain and discuss a potential treatment that may restore inhibition and ameliorate pain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endodontics, Prosthodontics and Operative Dentistry, Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. radi.masri@gmail.com
authors.forename: Radi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Masri
authors.forename: Asaf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keller
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000502:physiology; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics