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A Segmental Chronic Pain Syndrome in Rats Associated with Intrathecal Infusion of NMDA: evidence for selective action in the dorsal horn

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2015

Douglas W. Zochodne ,
Marilyn Murray ,
Sukriti Nag  and
Richard J. Riopelle
Douglas W. Zochodne*
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta
Marilyn Murray
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario
Sukriti Nag
Affiliation:
Department of Pathology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario
Richard J. Riopelle
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario
*
University of Calgary, Department of Clinical Neurosciences and the Neuroscience Research Group, Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Heritage Medical Building, 3330 Hospital Drive N.W., Calgary, Alberta
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Abstract:

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We explored the effects of chronic lumbar intrathecal NMDA infusion (mini-osmotic pumps) in Sprague-Dawley rats on motor and sensory axon integrity. Several different infusion protocols, each given over a 4 week period were examined: 0.15 M NMDA in phosphate buffered saline; phosphate buffered saline without NMDA; and 0.20 M magnesium sulfate plus 0.15 M NMDA; 0.35 M NMDA. In two additional protocols, 0.15 M NMDA or phosphate buffered saline were infused for a total of 8 weeks. Within 1-2 weeks of the onset of NMDA, but not phosphate buffered saline infusions, the rats exhibited irritability, circling, biting and excessive grooming resulting in loss of hair, and skin ulcerations from autotomy localized to lumbar and sacral innervated dermatomes. Co-infusion of NMDA with magnesium sulfate almost completely prevented these findings. The behavioural changes were not associated with abnormalities of sensory or motor conduction. Intrathecal infusion of NMDA induces a chronic “central” experimental pain disorder in rats, localized to the cord segment with the greatest exposure to the infusion, without involvement of peripheral sensory axons and sparing the axonal integrity of anterior horn cells.

Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences , Volume 21 , Issue 1 , February 1994 , pp. 24 - 28
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation 1994

References

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