PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Phantom limb pain (PLP) is a complex medical condition that is often difficult to treat, and thus can become detrimental to patients\' quality of life. No standardized clinical treatments exist and there is no conclusive understanding of the underlying mechanisms causing it. Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has been used to find correlations between changes in brain activity and various brain conditions, including neurological disease, mental illnesses, and brain disorders. Studies have also shown that NIBS can be effective in alleviating pain. Here, we examined the literature on a particular type of NIBS, known as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), and its application to the treatment of PLP. We first discuss the current hypotheses on the working mechanism of tDCS and then we examine published evidence of its efficacy to treat PLP. We conclude this article by discussing how tDCS alone, and in combination with brain imaging techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetic resonance imagining, could be applied to further investigate the mechanisms underlying PLP.
摘要：
幻肢疼痛（PLP）是一种复杂的医学疾病，通常难以治疗，从而对患者的生活质量产生不利影响。没有标准化的临床治疗方法，也没有对其潜在机制的结论性理解。非侵入性脑刺激（NIBS）已用于发现大脑活动变化与各种大脑状况之间的相关性，包括神经系统疾病,精神疾病,和脑部疾病。研究还表明，NIBS可以有效缓解疼痛。这里,我们研究了关于特定类型NIBS的文献，称为经颅直流电刺激(TDCS)，及其在PLP治疗中的应用。我们首先讨论有关tDCS工作机制的当前假设，然后研究已发表的有关其治疗PLP功效的证据。我们通过讨论单独的tDCS，并结合脑电图（EEG）和磁共振成像等脑成像技术，可用于进一步研究PLP的潜在机制。
