Increases in the concentration of brain derived neurotrophic factor in the lumbar spinal dorsal horn are associated with pain behavior following chronic constriction injury in rats.

Animals exhibiting thermal hyperalgesia as a sign of neuropathic pain 7 days after loose ligation of the sciatic nerve exhibited a significant increase in the concentration of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in their lumbar spinal dorsal horn. In contrast, following the disappearance of thermal hyperalgesia 28 days after loose ligation of the sciatic nerve, there were no differences in BDNF levels between control animals and those with sciatic ligations. These data suggest a close association in the timeline of the development and disappearance of behavioral signs of neuropathic pain with changes in BDNF levels in the lumbar spinal dorsal horn, and lend further support to the notion that plasticity in the processing of sensory information in the spinal dorsal horn may contribute to the development of persistent pain.