Evidence map›Paper›PMID 15964687›Full record

ArticlePain2005

Neuropathic pain: early spontaneous afferent activity is the trigger.

Wenrui Xie, Judith A Strong, Johanna T A Meij, Jun-Ming Zhang, Lei Yu

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Pain, 2005. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 102 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
102citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

102 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Glial cells in neuropathic pain.Physiological reviews · 2026
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42 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Wenrui XieDepartment of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, 3125 Eden Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0521, USA Department of Anesthesiology, Physiology and Biophysics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA.
Judith A Strong
Johanna T A Meij
Jun-Ming Zhang
Lei Yu

Funding

STUDY OF ACTIVITY-DEPENDENT SYMPATHETIC SPROUTINGR01NS045594 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI · PI ZHANG, JUN-MING · 2004 to 2025
$8.6M
Opioid Receptor Polymorphism &PD Drug ResponseR01DA013471 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI · PI YU, LEI · 2001 to 2005
$1.7M
MU OPIOID RECEPTOR GENE IN HEROIN ADDICTSR01DA009444 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI · PI YU, LEI · 1994 to 2003
$1.5M
STUDY OF CHEMOGENIC LOW BACK PAINR01NS039568 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS MED SCIS LTL ROCK · PI ZHANG, JUN-MING · 2000 to 2003
$876k
NIDA NIH HHS DA09444NIDA NIH HHS DA13471NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA009444NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA013471NINDS NIH HHS NS045594NINDS NIH HHS NS39568NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS039568NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS045594
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Intractable neuropathic pain often results from nerve injury. One immediate event in damaged nerve is a sustained increase in spontaneous afferent activity, which has a well-established role in ongoing pain. Using two rat models of neuropathic pain, the CCI and SNI models, we show that local, temporary nerve blockade of this afferent activity permanently inhibits the subsequent development of both thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia. Timing is critical-the nerve blockade must last at least 3-5 days and is effective if started immediately after nerve injury, but not if started at 10 days after injury when neuropathic pain is already established. Effective nerve blockade also prevents subsequent development of spontaneous afferent activity measured electrophysiologically. Similar results were obtained in both pain models, and with two blockade methods (200mg of a depot form bupivacaine at the injury site, or perfusion of the injured nerve just proximal to the injury site with TTX). These results indicate that early spontaneous afferent fiber activity is the key trigger for the development of pain behaviors, and suggest that spontaneous activity may be required for many of the later changes in the sensory neurons, spinal cord, and brain observed in neuropathic pain models. Many pre-clinical and clinical studies of pre-emptive analgesia have used much shorter duration of blockade, or have not started immediately after the injury. Our results suggest that effective pre-emptive analgesia can be achieved only when nerve block is administered early after injury and lasts several days.

Indexed as

Action PotentialsAnalysis of VarianceAnesthetics, LocalAnimalsAxotomyBehavior, AnimalBupivacaineDisease Models, AnimalDose-Response Relationship, DrugFunctional LateralityHot TemperatureHyperalgesiaLigationMaleNerve BlockPain MeasurementAnesthetics, LocalBupivacaineTetrodotoxin

Identifiers

PMID15964687
PMCPMC1343516

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.