Specific effect of levetiracetam in experimental human pain models

Background: Levetiracetam is a new antiepileptic drug. There is only limited experience with levetiracetam in clinical neuropathic pain. Aim: To test the analgesic effect of levetiracetam in a human experimental pain Model in order to obtain preclinical evidence for its potential effect in neuropathic pain. Methods: Sixteen healthy Volunteers completed a randomized, double-blind, cross-over trial with a single oral dose of 1500 mg levetiracetam against placebo. Pain tests included pain detection and tolerance to single electrical stimulations and temporal pain summation threshold to repetitive electrical stimulation (3 Hz) of the sural nerve. Results: Levetiracetam significantly increased the pain tolerance thresholds (p = 0.04), and the pain detection thresholds tended to be increased (p = 0.06), whereas levetiracetam had no effect on temporal pain summation thresholds (p = 0.30). Conclusion: Levetiracetam has an analgesic effect in the electrical sura; nerve stimulation pain model, but it did not increase temporal pain summation threshold. Levetiracetam may still be effective in clinical neuropathic Pain. (c) 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of European Federation of Chapters of' the International Association for the Study of Pain.