NEUROPHYSIOLOGY OF THE LUMBAR DISC AND ADJACENT TISSUE

该项目的长期目标是了解神经生理学 包括药物治疗的相对有效性 治疗方式。 最初的研究将集中在外周 神经支配和神经生理学。 后来 研究将包括高阶神经元，在背侧进行记录， 角、丘脑和躯体感觉皮层。 脊柱管结构， 进行研究 包括椎间盘、后纵韧带、腹侧硬脑膜、背根 和背根神经节。 这些组织一直被怀疑是 下背部疼痛的来源，但他们的神经支配从来没有 以神经生理学为特征的。 这项建议的目的是 确定这些组织的躯体感觉神经元如何响应 机械应力和应变以及疼痛的化学介质， 炎症 我们将使用的模型是新英格兰白色兔子。 具体目标： 1.确定腰椎间盘的神经元反应， 后纵韧带，腹侧硬脑膜，背根和背 根神经节局部机械应力。 2.确定椎间盘对椎间盘的神经反应 加载中 3.确定这些相同组织对暴露于经证实的 假设的炎症化学介质，包括疝 髓核、磷脂酶A2、P物质、缓激肽和 血清素 4.确定体感神经肽的神经分布 这些组织。 假设条件： 1.下背痛可能是由机械或化学刺激引起的 后纵行椎间盘环中的伤害感受器 韧带或腹侧硬脑膜。 这一假设从未得到证实 神经生理学 2.下背痛和坐骨神经痛可能是由机械压力或 腰椎背根和/或背根神经节炎症。

The long term goals of this project are to understand the neurophysiology of low back pain including the relative effectiveness of pharmacologic treatment modalities. The initial studies will focus on peripheral innervation and neurophysiology of spinal canal structures. Later studies will include higher order neurons, with recordings made at dorsal horn, thalamus and somatosensory cortex. The spinal canal structures to be studied include disc, posterior longitudinal ligament, ventral dura, dorsal roots and dorsal root ganglia. These tissues have long been suspected to be sources of low back pain, but their innervation has never been characterized neurophysiologically. The purpose of this proposal is to determine how the somatosensory neurons of these tissues respond to mechanical stress and strain and chemical mediators of pain and inflammation. The model we will use is the New England White rabbit. Specific Aims: 1. Determine the neuronal response of lumbar intervertebral discs, posterior longitudinal ligaments, ventral dura, dorsal roots and dorsal root ganglia to local mechanical stress. 2. Determine the neuronal response of the intervertebral disc to disc loading. 3. Determine the response of these same tissues to exposure to proven and hypothesized chemical mediators of inflammation, including herniated nucleus pulposus, phospholipase A2, substance P, bradykinin and serotonin. 4. Determine the nerve distribution of somatosensory neuropeptides in these tissues. Hypotheses: 1. That low back pain can be caused by mechanical or chemical stimulation of nociceptors in the annulus of the discs, posterior longitudinal ligament or ventral dura. This hypothesis has never been demonstrated neurophysiologically. 2. That low back pain and sciatica can be caused by mechanical stress or inflammation of lumbar dorsal roots and/or dorsal root ganglia.