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Multiple sites and actions of gabapentin-induced relief of ongoing experimental neuropathic pain

Bannister, K; Qu, C; Navratilova, E; Oyarzo, J; Xie, JY; King, T; Dickenson, AH; (2017) Multiple sites and actions of gabapentin-induced relief of ongoing experimental neuropathic pain. Pain , 158 (12) pp. 2386-2395. 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001040. Green open access

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Abstract

Gabapentin is a first-line therapy for neuropathic pain but its mechanisms and sites of action remain uncertain. We investigated gabapentin-induced modulation of neuropathic pain following spinal nerve ligation (SNL) in rats. Intravenous or intrathecal gabapentin reversed evoked mechanical hypersensitivity, produced conditioned place preference (CPP) and dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) selectively in SNL rats. Spinal gabapentin also significantly inhibited dorsal horn wide dynamic range (WDR) neuronal responses to a range of evoked stimuli in SNL rats. In contrast, gabapentin microinjected bilaterally into the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC), produced CPP and elicited NAc dopamine release selectively in SNL rats but did not reverse tactile allodynia and had marginal effects on WDR neuronal activity. Moreover, blockade of endogenous opioid signaling in the rACC prevented intravenous gabapentin-induced CPP and NAc dopamine release but failed to block its inhibition of tactile allodynia. Gabapentin therefore can potentially act to produce its pain relieving effects by (a) inhibition of injury-induced spinal neuronal excitability, evoked hypersensitivity and ongoing pain and (b) selective supraspinal modulation of affective qualities of pain, without alteration of reflexive behaviors. Consistent with previous findings of pain relief from non-opioid analgesics, gabapentin requires engagement of rACC endogenous opioid circuits and downstream activation of mesolimbic reward circuits reflected in learned pain motivated behaviors. These findings support the partial separation of sensory and affective dimensions of pain in this experimental model and suggest that modulation of affective-motivational qualities of pain may be the preferential mechanism of gabapentin’s analgesic effects in patients.

Type: Article
Title: Multiple sites and actions of gabapentin-induced relief of ongoing experimental neuropathic pain
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001040
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001040
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Anterior cingulate cortex; endogenous opioids; spinal cord; neuropathic pain; pain affect; gabapentin
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences > Neuro, Physiology and Pharmacology
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10120931
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