Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 May 11;25(7):47.
doi: 10.1007/s11916-021-00962-3.

Mechanism of Action of Peripheral Nerve Stimulation

Natalie H Strand  1 , Ryan D'Souza  2 , Christopher Wie  3 , Stephen Covington  4 , Moustafa Maita  5 , John Freeman  3 , Jillian Maloney  3
Affiliations
Review

Mechanism of Action of Peripheral Nerve Stimulation

Natalie H Strand et al. Curr Pain Headache Rep. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: The number of applications for peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) in the pain management field is ever-growing. With the increasing number of clinical applications for peripheral nerve stimulation, the purpose of this article is to review the mechanism of action surrounding PNS, the recent literature from January 2018 to January 2021, and pertinent clinical outcomes.

Recent findings: The authors searched articles identified from PubMed (January 2018-January 2021), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases (January 2018-January 2021), and Scopus (January 2018-January 2021) databases, and manually searched references of identified publications. Broad MeSH terms and Boolean operators were queried in each search, including the following terms and their respective synonyms: peripheral nerve stimulation, mechanism of action, biochemical pathway, and pain pathway. 15 consensus articles were selected for in-depth review and inclusion for qualitative analysis. PNS may activate and modulate higher central nervous system (CNS) centers, including the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, somatosensory cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and parahippocampal areas. Neuromodulatory effects from PNS may also extend into the spinal columns. Also, PNS may lead to changes in endogenous neurotransmitters and affect the plasticity of NMDA pathways.

Keywords: Chronic pain; Neuromodulation; Peripheral nerve stimulation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance
    1. Ottestad E, Orlovich DS. History of peripheral nerve stimulation-update for the 21st century. Pain Med. 2020;21(Suppl 1):S3–5. https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnaa165 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cambiaghi M, Sconocchia S. Scribonius Largus (probably before 1CE-after 48CE). J Neurol. 2018;265(10):2466–8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-018-8739-5 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. Althaus J. A treatise on medical electricity, theoretical and practical: and its uses in the treatment of paralysis, neuralgiz, and other diseases. 3rd ed. London: Longmans, Green and Co.; 1873.
    1. Melzack R, Wall PD. Pain mechanisms: a new theory. Science. 1965;150(3699):971–9. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.150.3699.971 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sweet WH, Wepsic JG. Treatment of chronic pain by stimulation of fibers of primary afferent neuron. Trans Am Neurol Assoc. 1968;93:103–7. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources