title: Emerging Treatments for Neuropathic Pain.
abstract: Neuropathic pain is a series of well-known conditions caused by diseases or lesions to the somatosensory system. Due to the better understanding of the pathophysiology of neuropathic pain, previously unexplored therapies have been used with encouraging results. As such, Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC), Alpha-lipoic-acid (ALA), cannabinoids, Clonidine, EMA401, Botulinum Toxin type A, and new voltage-gated sodium channel blockers, can be cited. Furthermore, new modalities in neuromodulation such as high-frequency spinal cord stimulation, burst stimulation, dorsal root ganglion stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, and many others have been showing exciting results. Besides, changing paradigms may occur with the advent of optogenetics and a better understanding of epigenetic regulation. This article reviews the published literature on the treatment of NP. Despite the interesting results, randomized controlled trials are demanded for the majority of the therapies previously mentioned.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Av. Lucio Costa, 2916/1521, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22620-172, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bruno L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Pessoa
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Av. Lucio Costa, 2916/1521, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22620-172, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Escudeiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Av. Lucio Costa, 2916/1521, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22620-172, Brazil. osvaldo_nascimento@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Osvaldo J M
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Nascimento
mesh_terms: D000108:Acetylcarnitine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D065087:Acetylcholine Release Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D009465:Neuromuscular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D062187:Spinal Cord Stimulation / Q000639:trends; D065908:Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: D065087:Acetylcholine Release Inhibitors; D000700:Analgesics; D009465:Neuromuscular Agents; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D000108:Acetylcarnitine; D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A
keywords: Neuropathic pain; Somatosensory nervous system; Spinal cord; Treatment; Trials