Journal
PAIN
Volume 99, Issue 3, Pages 589-598Publisher
LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS
DOI: 10.1016/S0304-3959(02)00266-X
Keywords
Mu opioid receptor; acute pain; endogenous opioid peptides; positron emission tomography; capsaicin; statistical parametric mapping
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Funding
- PHS HHS [R0114447] Funding Source: Medline
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The role of the supraspinal endogenous opioid system in pain processing has been investigated in this study using positron emission tomography imaging of [C-11]-carfentanil, a synthetic, highly specific mu opioid receptor (mu-OR) agonist. Eight healthy volunteers were studied during a baseline imaging session and during a session in which subjects experienced pain induced by applying capsaicin topically to the dorsal aspect of the left hand. A pain-related decrease in brain mu-OR binding was observed in the contralateral thalamus consistent with competitive binding between [C-11]-carfentanil and acutely released endogenous opioid peptides. This decrease varied directly with ratings of pain intensity. These results suggest that the supraspinal mu-opioid system is activated by acute pain and thus may play a substantial role in pain processing and modulation in pain syndromes. (C) 2002 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
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