Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Nat Rev Neurosci. 2022 Feb;23(2):70-85. doi: 10.1038/s41583-021-00536-7. Epub 2021 Nov 26.
Best practices in preclinical algesiometry (pain behaviour testing) have shifted over the past decade as a result of technological advancements, the continued dearth of translational progress and the emphasis that funding institutions and journals have placed on rigour and reproducibility. Here we describe the changing trends in research methods by analysing the methods reported in preclinical pain publications from the past 40 years, with a focus on the last 5 years. We also discuss how the status quo may be hampering translational success. This discussion is centred on four fundamental decisions that apply to every pain behaviour experiment: choice of subject (model organism), choice of assay (pain-inducing injury), laboratory environment and choice of outcome measures. Finally, we discuss how human tissues, which are increasingly accessible, can be used to validate the translatability of targets and mechanisms identified in animal pain models.
在过去的十年中，由于技术的进步、转化进展的持续不足以及资助机构和期刊对严谨性和可重复性的重视，临床前痛觉测定（疼痛行为测试）的最佳实践已经发生了变化。在这里，我们通过分析过去 40 年临床前疼痛出版物中报告的方法来描述研究方法的变化趋势，重点关注过去 5 年。我们还讨论了现状如何阻碍转化成功。这种讨论集中在适用于每个疼痛行为实验的四个基本决策上：研究对象（模式生物）的选择、测定方法（引起疼痛的损伤）、实验室环境和结果测量的选择。最后，我们讨论了越来越容易获得的人类组织如何可用于验证在动物疼痛模型中确定的靶标和机制的可转化性。
