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Researcher

Kristof Deseure

  • Research Expertise:Neuropathic pain syndromes result from damage or dysfunction of the somatosensory nervous system. They are very resistant to common pain-killers and patients often suffer from terrible discomfort. Trigeminal neuralgia (“tic douloureux”) is an extreme form of facial neuropathic pain. A rat model was developed where the Infraorbital nerve (IoN), which constitutes almost the entire maxillary branch of the trigeminal nerve, is loosely ligated. Following IoN surgery, rats display increased face grooming behavior directed to the territory of the injured IoN indicative of spontaneous pain. After an initial period of hyporesponsiveness, rats also become hyperresponsive to mechanical (von Frey hair) stimulation of the IoN territory. In addition to its role in tumourigenesis and angiogenesis, evidence is accumulating that ET-1 may be of critical importance in the occurrence of cancer pain. Recently, our lab has been focusing on the effects of application of ET-1 to the infraorbital nerve (IoN) of the rat and of prolonged exposure to ET-1. Video-ECoG, or the simultaneous recording of behaviour and electrocorticography in awake animals, has become a valuable tool in neurophysiological and neuropharmacological studies. In our lab, we have begun to implement the video-ECoG methodology in the IoN-CCI model in order to correlate behavioral (grooming) data with ECoG data in normal and IoN-CCI rats.
  • Keywords:TRIGEMINAL NEUROPATHY, RATS, PAIN, PAIN TREATMENT, Medicine
  • Disciplines:Anaesthesiology, Cardiac and vascular medicine, Laboratory medicine, Medical biochemistry and metabolism, Medical systems biology, Microbiology, Molecular and cell biology, Neurosciences, Oncology, Physiology, Surgery, Other clinical sciences, Other paramedical sciences, Other medical and health sciences
  • Research techniques:Infraorbital nerve chronic constriction rat model for the study of trigeminal neuropathic pain including analysis of spontaneous pain and mechanical allodynia. Transcranial micro-injections into the trigeminal ganglion in rats. Use of the Operant Orofacial Pain Assessment Device (OPAD) to Measure Changes in Nociceptive Behavior. Video-ECoG, or the simultaneous recording of behaviour and electrocorticography in awake animals.
  • Users of research expertise:Research facilities at universities, biotechnical and pharmaceutical companies.