ArticleFrontiers in neuroscience2023
Botulinum toxin A decreases neural activity in pain-related brain regions in individuals with chronic ocular pain and photophobia.
Article in Frontiers in neuroscience, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Botulinum toxin effects on biochemical biomarkers related to inflammation-associated head and neck chronic conditions: a systematic review of clinical research.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2025Pooled it
- A Scoping Review of Pharmacologic and Nonpharmacologic Interventions to Treat Chronic Ocular Pain.Journal of neuro-ophthalmology : the official journal of the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society · 2026Article
- Chronic ocular pain is associated with smaller selective hippocampal subfield in highly symptomatic patients.The journal of pain · 2026Article
- Neuropathic Corneal Pain and Blepharospasm: A Case Series.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Corneal Innervation Research at a Crossroads: A Tool-Driven Roadmap for the Future.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2026Review
- Botulinum Toxin for Chronic Migraine: Beyond Headache Reduction and Toward Possible Cognitive Benefits.Toxins · 2026Review
- Emerging Technologies in Corneal Nerve Evaluation for Dry Eye and Ocular Surface Disease: A Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Prolonged aftersensations to thermal noxious stimulation as a screening tool for central contributions to chronic ocular pain.The journal of pain · 2026Article
- Heightened visual light sensitivity discomfort measured by the ocular photosensitivity analyzer is associated with chronic ocular pain.The ocular surface · 2025Article
- Aberrant static and dynamic functional connectivity of insular cortex in patients with trigeminal neuralgia.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Abnormal visual cortex activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging in treatment resistant photophobia in Friedreich Ataxia.American journal of ophthalmology case reports · 2024Article
- Corneal neuropathic pain: a review to inform clinical practice.Eye (London, England) · 2024Review
- FL-41 Tint Reduces Activation of Neural Pathways of Photophobia in Patients with Chronic Ocular Pain.American journal of ophthalmology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Introduction: To examine the effect of botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) on neural mechanisms underlying pain and photophobia using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in individuals with chronic ocular pain. Methods: Twelve subjects with chronic ocular pain and light sensitivity were recruited from the Miami Veterans Affairs eye clinic. Inclusion criteria were: (1) chronic ocular pain; (2) presence of ocular pain over 1 week recall; and (3) presence of photophobia. All individuals underwent an ocular surface examination to capture tear parameters before and 4-6 weeks after BoNT-A injections. Using an event-related fMRI design, subjects were presented with light stimuli during two fMRI scans, once before and 4-6 weeks after BoNT-A injection. Light evoked unpleasantness ratings were reported by subjects after each scan. Whole brain blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) responses to light stimuli were analyzed. Results: At baseline, all subjects reported unpleasantness with light stimulation (average: 70.8 ± 32.0). Four to six weeks after BoNT-A injection, unpleasantness scores decreased (48.1 ± 33.6), but the change was not significant. On an individual level, 50% of subjects had decreased unpleasantness ratings in response to light stimulation compared to baseline ("responders," Discussion: BoNT-A injections modulate light-evoked activation of pain-related brain systems and photophobia symptoms in some individuals with chronic ocular pain. These effects are associated with decreased activation in areas responsible for processing the sensory-discriminative, affective, dimensions, and motor responses to pain.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.