The impact of sex on the dysfunction of endogenous pain control in adult Sprague Dawley rats after lateral fluid percussion

STUDY PURPOSE: STUDY PURPOSE: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients frequently experience chronic pain that can enhance their suffering and significantly impair rehabilitative efforts. However, the impact of sex on dysfunction of endogenous pain control systems after TBI has not been explored. The dataset contains primarily behavioral and histological data of the comparison between male and female adult (80 to 85 days old at start of study) Sprague Dawley rats after TBI focusing on chronic pain. DATA COLLECTED: DATA COLLECTED: The data set includes comparisons of hindpaw mechanical nociceptive withdrawal thresholds (using von Frey filaments) of male and female, uninjured and injured Sprague Dawley rats using the lateral fluid percussion model (1.3 – 0.1 atm) of TBI (males: n = 106, females: n=124). Group numbers vary from n= 6 to 8 rats. Mechanical nociceptive responses were assessed using von Frey fibers while descending control of nociception (DCN) involved hindpaw sensitization with PGE2 followed by a capsaicin-test stimulus to the forepaw. Pharmacological studies employed the administration of the selective noradrenergic (NA) reuptake inhibitor, reboxetine (RBX), the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, escitalopram (ESC), and additional NA receptor blockers. Neuropathological studies were used to quantify intraparenchymal hemorrhage, axonal damage and neuroinflammatory changes. DATA USAGE NOTES: