The aim is to investigate the analgesic effect of transcranial direct current stimulation(tDCS) on central neuropathic pain(CNP) in spinal cord contusive rat model. Twenty Sprague-Dawley rats (250±50 g, male) were used. Thoracic spinal cord(T10) A central neuropathic pain caused by a spinal cord injury may be divided into a nociceptive pain by over-activity of peripheral sensitization receptor and a neuropathic pain by nerve damage.They act as the limit of several physiotherapies because they cause heavy pains by damage of nerve cells or axons consisting of CNS(central nervous system) [1].The common symptoms of neuropathic pain are allodynia(the pain caused by soft stimulus), hyperalgesia(the pain of bigger intensity induced by the stimulus of the intensity equivalent to induce a normal pain) and a spontaneous pain(the pain caused by without external stimulus)[2]- [4].Recently, several
1.INTRODUCTION* Corresponding author. E-mail :pray1980@hanmail.net Manuscript received Nov. 07, 2011 accepted Jan.27, 2012 experimental animal models showing similar activities to allodynia, hyperalgesia and spontaneous pain frequently observed in patients with a spinal cord injury have been developed, and so there have been various tries and challenges to discover the mechanism [5].The clinical patterns of rats for a neuropathic pain, such as shake of the head toward the stimulus site, sharp screaming, complex regional pain syndrome accompanying edema and color change, allodynia, and heat hyperesthesia, were reported[1], [6].However, mechanical allodynia and heat hyperalgesiawere regarded as the most representative presenting symptoms [7], [8].The neuropathic pain mechanism caused by a spinal cord injury is explained by hyper-excitability of spinal nerve cells and effacement of inhibitory control (disinhibition) from an upper nervous system [9]. Various drugs such as NMDA antagonist, tramadol agent and anti-depressant opioids to treat http://dx