Mechano- and thermo-sensitivity in rats genetically prone to developing neuropathic pain

By selective breeding, lines of rats were derived which consistently expressed high (HA) or low (LA) levels of autotomy following sciatic nerve injury, autotomy being a behavior pattern presumed to reflect the presence of neuropathic paresthesias and pain. We report here that intact (unoperated) HA and LA rats differ in their responsiveness to cutaneous mechanical and thermal stimuli. Thus, the autotomy trait, which was identified by its expression under conditions of nerve injury, shares determinants with sensory processing channels in the intact animal.