Trigeminal nociceptive function and oral somatosensory functional and structural assessment in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Author(s)

Costa, Y. M. ^{[1, 2]} ; Karlsson, P. ^{[3, 4]} ; Bonjardim, L. R. ^[5] ; Conti, P. C. R. ^[6] ; Tankisi, H. ^[7] ; Jensen, T. S. ^[3] ; Nyengaard, J. R. ^{[4, 8]} ; Svensson, P. ^{[9, 10, 2]} ; Baad-Hansen, L. ^{[10, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Piracicaba Dent Sch, Dept Physiol Sci, Piracicaba - Brazil

^[2] Scandinavian Ctr Orofacial Neurosci SCON, Aarhus - Denmark

^[3] Aarhus Univ, Dept Clin Med, Danish Pain Res Ctr, Aarhus - Denmark

^[4] Aarhus Univ, Sect Stereol & Microscopy, Dept Clin Med, Core Ctr Mol Morphol, Aarhus - Denmark

^[5] Univ Sao Paulo, Bauru Sch Dent, Dept Biol Sci, Bauru - Brazil

^[6] Univ Sao Paulo, Bauru Sch Dent, Dept Prosthodont, Bauru - Brazil

^[7] Aarhus Univ Hosp, Dept Clin Neurophysiol, Aarhus - Denmark

^[8] Aarhus Univ, Ctr Stochast Geometry & Adv Bioimaging, Aarhus - Denmark

^[9] Karolinska Inst, Dept Dent Med, Huddinge - Sweden

^[10] Aarhus Univ, Sect Orofacial Pain & Jaw Funct, Dept Dent & Oral Hlth, Aarhus - Denmark

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS; v. 9, JAN 17 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 1

Abstract

This case-control study primarily compared the trigeminal nociceptive function, the intraoral somatosensory profile and possible structural nerve changes between diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN, n = 12) patients and healthy participants (n = 12). The nociceptive blink reflex (nBR) was recorded applying an electrical stimulation over the entry zone of the right supraorbital (V1R), infraorbital (V2R) and mental (V3R) and left infraorbital (V2L) nerves. The outcomes were: individual electrical sensory (I-0) and pain thresholds (I-P); root mean square (RMS), area-under-the-curve (AUC) and onset latencies of R2 component of the nBR. Furthermore, a standardized full battery of quantitative sensory testing (QST) and intraepidermal nerve fibre density (IENFD) or nerve fibre length density (NFLD) assessment were performed, respectively, on the distal leg and oral mucosa. As expected, all patients had altered somatosensory sensitivity and lower IENFD in the lower limb. DPN patients presented higher I-0, I-P, RMS and AUC values (p < 0.050), lower warm detection thresholds (WDT) (p = 0.004), higher occurrence of paradoxical heat sensation (PHS) (p = 0.040), and a lower intraoral NFLD (p = 0.048) than the healthy participants. In addition, the presence of any abnormal intraoral somatosensory finding was more frequent in the DPN patients when compared to the reference group (p = 0.013). Early signs of trigeminal nociceptive facilitation, intraoral somatosensory abnormalities and loss of intraoral neuronal tissue can be detected in DPN patients. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 15/09913-4 - The effect of cutaneous afferents in the mechanical somatosensory profile of masticatory myofascial pain.
• Grantee: Yuri Martins Costa
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral