Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41090183›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland)2025

Primary somatosensory cortex oscillations in trigeminal neuralgia: laser-evoked signatures and their potential relevance to microvascular decompression.

Britta N Kretzschmar, André Rupp, Sandro M Krieg, Rezvan Ahmadi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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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

4 authors.

Britta N KretzschmarDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
André RuppDepartment of Neurology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Sandro M KriegDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Rezvan AhmadiDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Classical trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a severe chronic pain disorder characterized by sudden, intense facial pain attacks and represents a major burden for affected individuals. Microvascular decompression (MVD) can provide pain relief, yet not all patients benefit equally. A key challenge in selecting candidates for MVD lies in the limited predictive accuracy of current diagnostics, which mainly rely on subjective pain history and structural MRI findings. Since many asymptomatic individuals show neurovascular contact on imaging, its prognostic value remains limited. Electrophysiological measures, particularly cortical oscillations, may offer more objective insights into nociceptive system function. In this case series, we investigated 15 TN patients scheduled for MVD using magnetoencephalography prior to surgery to assess laser-evoked fields. Noxious stimuli were applied to the symptomatic and contralateral trigeminal dermatome. Ten patients achieved complete postoperative pain relief (responders), while five patients reported persistent symptoms (non-responders). Source reconstruction showed activation in the contralateral primary somatosensory cortex in all participants. Responders exhibited reduced low-frequency oscillatory activity at the pain site, whereas non-responders displayed increased activity in the same frequency band. Group-level analysis revealed distinct differences in oscillatory dynamics between responders and non-responders. These findings indicate altered cortical processing in TN and suggest that oscillatory activity patterns might serve as functional biomarkers. Incorporating these measures could improve preoperative stratification and guide treatment decisions for patients undergoing MVD.

Indexed as

laser-evoked fieldsmagnetoencephalographyMEGmicrovascular decompressionoscillationsprimary somatosensory cortexS1trigeminal neuralgia

Identifiers

PMID41090183
PMCPMC12515803

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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.