Insular and anterior cingulate cortex deep stimulation for central neuropathic pain: Disassembling the percept of pain.

Objective: To compare the analgesic effects of stimulation of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) or the posterior superior insula (PSI) against sham deep (d) repetitive (r) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in patients with central neuropathic pain (CNP) after stroke or spinal cord injury in a randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled, 3-arm parallel study.

Methods: Participants were randomly allocated into the active PSI-rTMS, ACC-rTMS, sham-PSI-rTMS, or sham-ACC-rTMS arms. Stimulations were performed for 12 weeks, and a comprehensive clinical and pain assessment, psychophysics, and cortical excitability measurements were performed at baseline and during treatment.

Liposomal topical capsaicin in post-herpetic neuralgia: a safety pilot study.

Unlabelled: Topical treatments have gained popularity for general use as an adjunct to systemic drugs in neuropathic pain, but their use produces variable clinical results and local adverse events.

Objective: To evaluate the safety and analgesic effect of a formulation of liposomal capsaicin (LC) (0.025%) in patients with post herpetic neuralgia (PHN).