Simple non-invasive mapping of pain pathways in living humans, and the effects of acute non-invasively induced pain on substance P, oncogen C-fos Ab1, oncogen C-fos Ab2, dopamine, and acetylcholine.

Most of the present knowledge on pain pathways is based on invasive animal experiments. In 1987, using the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test, Omura found that pain pathways can be evaluated non-invasively in living humans. In this paper, actual examples of such cases are reported. When mild pain was created by pinching different fingers of a normal human subject by placing a plastic clamp on the skin above a pain pathway, the indirect Bi-Digital O-Ring Test, through a fine electroconductive metal wire held by a third person, showed marked weakening of muscle tone of the third person resulting in the opening of the Bi-Digital O-Ring, which was preselected only when the minimum essential requirements to perform the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test were satisfied. The pain pathway thus detected had the following characteristics: For example, when the lateral side of the 5th finger of the left hand was pinched, the pathway was approximately along the ulnar nerve and then went to the dorsal root of the spinal cord around the area corresponding to the lower end of the 7th cervical vertebrae/upper end of the 1st thoracic vertebrae. At this level, the pain pathway goes to the opposite side (right side) then laterally up to the lower one-third of the medulla oblongata. It then turns horizontally from the right side to the left side at the same level, then goes up in the left side of the center of the medulla oblongata. At the left side it goes to the pons, and in the upper part of the pons it turns towards the midline. It then goes up and turns to the right side of the right cerebral cortex corresponding to the lateral side of the 5th finger.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)