Article

Maladaptive plasticity in the sensorimotor system, following
neurological lesions or diseases, plays a central role in the generation and
maintenance of neuropathic pain. Repetitive magnetic stimulation of the central
and peripheral nervous system has gained relevance as noninvasive approach for
neuromodulation and pain relief. Systematic reviews that evaluate the effectiveness and specificity of different protocols of repetitive magnetic
stimulation to control neuropathic pain in clinical populations have the
potential to improve the therapeutic applicability of this technique. METHODS:
Studies whose primary goal was to evaluate the effectiveness of repetitive
magnetic stimulation for the treatment of various types of neuropathic pain
published in PubMed until August 2015 have been included in this systematic
review. RESULTS: A total of 39 articles fulfilling the inclusion criteria were
analyzed of which 37 studies investigated pain modulation using repetitive
magnetic stimulation over the motor or non-motor cortices and two studies
evaluated pain modulation using repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation
protocols. CONCLUSIONS: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the
primary motor cortex using high frequency stimulation protocols can effectively
reduce neuropathic pain, particularly in individuals with pain related to
non-cerebral lesions. The application of multiple sessions can lead to
long-lasting pain modulation and cumulative effects. Implications for
Rehabilitation Maladaptive plasticity plays a central role in sensitization of
nociceptive pathways, generation and maintainance of neuropathic pain; Most
neuropathic pain conditions are refractory to pharmacological therapies;
Repetitive magnetic stimulation of the central and peripheral nervous system has
gained relevance as noninvasive approach for neuromodulation and pain relief.

Langue : ANGLAIS