P.2.019 - Anterior cingulate cortex hypersensitivity to serotonergic challenge in migraine patients: an fMRI study

Abstract

Peripheral nerve field stimulation (PNfS) is a new and exciting area of neurostimulation. It belongs to the general category of electrical stimulation of the peripheral nervous system. However, instead of stimulating a well-defined nerve trunk, the stimulation is applied to the small terminal branches of one or more peripheral nerves. The target area for the stimulation is the subcutaneous tissue, where the small nervous endings of the nerves arborize in a widespread network. The use of PNfS is a paradigm switch from previous neurostimulation modalities, where stimulation is applied to a large well-defined neural structure such as a large peripheral nerve, the nerve roots, or the spinal cord. Most common indications include intractable axial pain (lumbar, thoracic, and cervical areas), abdominal pain, and inguinal pain.The main advantages of the technique are low invasiveness, extreme selectivity of stimulation, guaranteed coverage of the painful area, and low risks and complications. PNfS can also be utilized in conjunction with spinal cord stimulation, with good synergistic and additive results. The clinical results are similar to those for other common neurostimulation modalities for chronic pain syndromes.