BackgroundChronic neuropathic pain resulting from neuronal damage remains difficult to treat, in part due to incomplete understanding of underlying cellular mechanisms. We have previously shown that inward Ca2+ flux (ICa) across the sensory neuron plasmalemma is decreased in a rodent model of chronic neuropathic pain, but the direct consequence of this loss of ICa on function of the sensory neuron has not been defined. We therefore examined the extent to which altered membrane properties after nerve injury, especially increased excitability that may contribute to chronic pain, are attributable to diminished Ca2+ entry.
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