PMID:
Eur J Pain. 2006 Feb ;10(2):171-6. PMID: 16310722
Abstract Title:
Pulsed radiofrequency applied to dorsal root ganglia causes a selective increase in ATF3 in small neurons.
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: This is a"proof of concept study"to test the hypothesis that pulsed radiofrequency, PRF, produces cell stress at the primary afferent level without signs of overt thermal damage. We assumed that cell stress would result in impairment of normal function, and used the expression of activating transcription factor 3, ATF3, as an indicator of cellular"stress".METHODS: PRF (20 ms of 500-kHz RF pulses, delivered at a rate of 2 Hz; maximum temperature 42 degrees C) was delivered either to the sciatic nerve of adult rats in mid thigh, or to the L4 anterior primary ramus just distal to the intervertebral foramen. Controls were sham-operated or L4 axotomised. All tissues were examined 14 days after surgery. The percentage of CGRP- or ATF3-positive DRG neuronal somata was calculated using image analysis software (SigmaScan Pro 4).RESULTS: ATF3 expression was upregulated in L4 DRG neuronal cell bodies, irrespective of their size, after axotomy. It was also upregulated significantly (p
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