Oro-facial non Contact Thermal Stimulator

描述（由申请人提供）：本阶段I SBIR的目标是设计、开发、测试和验证啮齿动物行为热刺激器，该刺激器允许对面部和口腔内的伤害感受器进行差异评估。目前，没有工具能够在动物或人类中执行面部或口内热伤害性映射。例如，由投影仪灯泡传递的正常白色光辐射热刺激将为可靠的测试提供太亮的视觉提示。众所周知的Hargreaves足底刺激装置不是纤维类型选择性的，并且在三叉神经区域中使用是不切实际的。进一步了解面部伤害感受器的位置和性质对于探索口面部疼痛和神经病变的临床前模型以及针对三叉神经系统的镇痛操作是重要的。红外激光二极管刺激器的发展可能会导致一个临床研究工具，具有重要意义的测试感觉异常患者的口面部疼痛疾病以及药物验证和发现。研究人员计划在第一阶段测试动物的口面部区域。在第二阶段，研究人员计划继续测试正常人类志愿者和患者的口面部区域，并制定口面部定位自然疼痛的诊断标准。研究者将设计、构建和测试口面部红外激光二极管热刺激器，其（A）将提供准直光以在皮肤中产生热量，（B）避免刺激人类和动物的眼睛，（C）允许定位和距离的灵活性，（D）将具有可用于口内以及外部皮肤的探针尖端，（E）将使使用者能够控制热刺激的强度并通过控制光功率和脉冲持续时间选择性地激活伤害感受纤维类型，以及（F）记录啮齿动物中的反应响应。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this Phase I SBIR is to design, develop, test and validate a rodent behavioral thermal stimulator that allows differential assessment of facial and intra-orally-located nociceptors. Currently no tool is able to perform facial or intra-oral thermal nociceptive mapping in animals or humans. For example, the normal white light radiant thermal stimulus delivered by a projector bulb would provide a too bright visual cue for reliable testing. The well-known Hargreaves plantar foot stimulation device is not fiber type selective and is impractical for use in the trigeminal area. Further understanding of the locations and properties of facial nociceptors is important for probing preclinical models of oro-facial pain and neuropathies and analgesic manipulations directed at the trigeminal system. The development of the infra red laser diode stimulator could lead to a clinical research tool of significant importance for testing sensory abnormalities in patients with oro-facial pain disorders as well as drug validation and discovery. Investigators plan to test the oro-facial area of animals in Phase I. In Phase II, investigators plan to proceed with testing oro-facial areas in normal human volunteers and in patients and developing diagnostic criteria of oro-facial located naturopathic pain. Investigators will design, build and test an oro-facial infra red laser diode thermal stimulator that (A) will deliver collimated light to produce heat in skin, (B) avoid irritation of eyes for humans and animals, (C) allow flexibility in positioning and distance, (D) will have a probe tip that can be used intra-orally as well as on external skin, (E) will enable the user to control the intensity of heat stimuli and selectively activate nociceptive fiber types by controlling light power and pulse duration, and (F) register the reaction response in rodents.