ABSTRACT
Currents ....................................................181 9.4 Summary and Conclusions ..........................................................................182 References..............................................................................................................182
Tissue injury is associated with ongoing pain and/or an increased sensitivity to noxious (hyperalgesia) and innocuous (allodynia) stimuli. These changes in sensation reflect, at least in part, changes in the excitability of primary afferent neurons. Under normal conditions, the biophysical properties, density, and distribution of the ion channels present in the plasma membrane of a neuron determine various aspects of its excitability such as resting membrane potential, action potential threshold, and inter-spike-interval. Therefore, injury-induced changes in the excitability of primary afferent neurons are likely to reflect changes in the ion channels in these neurons. Injury-induced changes in the biophysical properties,
