Double spikes to single electrical stimulation correlates to spontaneous activity of nociceptors in painful neuropathy patients

Abstract Multiple firing of C nociceptors upon a single electrical stimulus has been suggested to be a possible mechanism contributing to neuropathic pain. Because this phenomenon maybe based on a unidirectional conduction block, it might also be related to neuropathic changes without a direct link to pain. We investigated painful neuropathy patients using microneurography and analysed nociceptors for the occurrence of multiple spiking and spontaneous activity. In 11 of 105 nociceptors, double spiking was found, with 1fibre even showing triple spikes on electrical stimulation. The interval between the main action potential and the multiple spikes ranged from 13 to 100 ms. There was a significant association between spontaneous activity and multiple spiking in C nociceptors, with spontaneous activity being present in 9 of 11 fibres with multiple spiking, but only in 21 of 94 nociceptors without multiple spiking (P