Assessing the Analgesic Efficacy of Gabapentin and Amantadine in Altering Sensory Thresholds in Dogs, using Electric, Thermal, and Mechanical Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST)
Faculty Information
Name:
Dr. Elizabeth Maxwell
Email
emaxwell@ufl.edu
Phone
(786) 400-8732
Faculty Department/Division
Small Animal Clinical Sciences
Project Information
Project Title
Assessing the Analgesic Efficacy of Gabapentin and Amantadine in Altering Sensory Thresholds in Dogs, using Electric, Thermal, and Mechanical Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST)
This project is primarily:
Basic
Research Project Description:
Rational:
Oral multimodal analgesic agents for acute pain are limited in veterinary medicine, with many commonly used drugs being found to be ineffective or minimally effective for managing pain. Common non-NSAID analgesics used for acute pain include gabapentinoids, and NMDA receptor antagonists. However, the literature regarding the use of these drugs is limited, and the existing studies show poor clinical efficacy in managing acute pain with these medications. Controlled laboratory studies assessing efficacy are needed.
Specific Aims:
To test the efficacy of gabapentin and amantidine in altering sensory thresholds in dogs, using electric,
thermal, and mechanical quantitative sensory testing (QST) in healthy beagle dogs.
Study Design and Methods
Subjects:
Six healthy female spayed purpose-bred beagle dogs born February and March 2020 (age 4.7 years) and weighing 8-10.2kg will be included following IACUC approval. Dogs will be randomized to receive either gabapentin or amantadine. After a 1-week washout, they will cross over into the other group.
Quantitative Sensory Testing:
Mechanical, thermal, and electric quantitative sensory testing will be performed. The mechanical device used will be a pressure algometer (Topcat Metrology Ltd; Cambs, UK) applying increasing pressure to the skin of the dogs until the dog shows a response indicating active conscious perception or until the maximal stimulus endpoint is reached prior to potential tissue damage. A thermal threshold testing system (Topcat Metrology Ltd; Cambs, UK) will be utilized, with temperature being gradually increased until an active response is elicited or once the maximum stimulus intensity is achieved of 50°C. Lastly, electric QST will be performed using the transcutaneous electric nerve stimulator, and electrical stimulus will be gradually increased until an active response is noted or once the maximum endpoint of 150 mA is achieved. Baseline QST will be performed prior to beginning the experiment for each modality. After dosing in each phase, QST will be performed 30 minutes after dosing, followed by 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 hours after dosing.
Clinical significance:
This data will give us further evidence to either support or contradict the frequent clinical use of gabapentin and amantadine in postoperative patients.
Role of medical student:
The student will be responsible for aiding in the execution of the study and assisting with QST testing. The student will also be responsible for data analysis (with the assistance of a statistician if needed) and for helping to write up the manuscript for publication (with assistance of other authors/investigators and mentor. The medical student will be a co-author on the published manuscript.
Does this project have an international component or travel?
No