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Review
. 2024 Jan 17;12(1):204.
doi: 10.3390/biomedicines12010204.

A Literature Review: The Mechanisms and Treatment of Neuropathic Pain-A Brief Discussion

Renira Rugnath  1 , Casey Orzechowicz  1 , Clayton Newell  1 , Veronica Carullo  1 , Anesh Rugnath  1
Affiliations
Review

A Literature Review: The Mechanisms and Treatment of Neuropathic Pain-A Brief Discussion

Renira Rugnath et al. Biomedicines. .

Abstract

Classically, neuropathic pain is described as a pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory system. However, one must note that the presence of somatosensory pathology alone does not guarantee a progression to neuropathic pain. This is due, in part, to the fact that neuropathic pain is a notoriously complex disease process, involving sensitization of both the central and peripheral nervous systems. Its causes are also numerous and varied, including trauma, the compression of a nerve, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, and infections. Due to the various manifestations, causes, and symptoms of neuropathic pain, the treatment of this disease process has proved challenging for generations of physicians. This section aims to elaborate on newly proposed mechanisms for pharmacological and targeted therapies, such as neurostimulation, which aim to reduce the negative somatosensory effects of neuropathic pain.

Keywords: capsaicin; compression; gabapentinoids; genetic pain; interventional pain; neuralgia; neuropathic pain; neurostimulation; pediatric pain; peripheral nervous system; radiculopathy; sensitization; spinal cord stimulators; tricyclic antidepressants.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Possible sites of neuropathic pain lesions along the spinothalamic tract, including at the receptor level (receptor endings), peripheral nerve (afferent fibers), or spinal cord level or centrally within the brain (somatic sensory cortex) and brainstem (midbrain and medulla). Obtained from Reference [6] through an open-access archive.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic of fiber demyelination. Obtained from Reference [8] through an open-access archive.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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