Name: assessment of sensory thresholds in dogs using mechanical and hot thermal quantitative sensory testing
Uploaded: 2021-10-26T13:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Assessment of Sensory Thresholds in Dogs Using Mechanical and Hot Thermal Quantitative Sensory Testing at JoVE.com

The authors would like to thank Andrea Thomson, Jon Hash, Hope Woods, and Autumn Anthony for handling dogs for QST, Masataka Enomoto for his help screening dogs, and Sam Chiu for his contributions to establishing the protocol for hot thermal QST.

All procedures were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of North Carolina State University.
1. Room set-up and study subject acclimatization
<ol>
	<li>Perform QST in a dedicated space where there is ample room for a QST operator, handler, and dog of any size to move about comfortably. Minimize potential auditory and visual distractions and use a white noise machine to block out ambient sound.</li>
	<li>Place a large yoga mat or similar padding on the floor to ensure t...

<ol>
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It is crucial to the acquisition of accurate data - that reflects the dog&#39;s sensory thresholds - that the dog is as calm, relaxed, and positioned adequately as possible for each measurement. A previous study noted that agitation from restraint or distraction from factors within or outside the testing environment affected dogs&#39; responses to the QST stimuli16. If the dog becomes agitated from recumbency or restraint or is distracted, the dog should be given time to settle before a measuremen...

Quantitative sensory testing (QST) assesses the responses elicited by externally applied stimuli; it is used to evaluate the function of the somatosensory system in humans and animals1. Mechanical stimuli in the form of punctate pressure or deep pressure are applied as a ramped stimulus. The sensory threshold is determined as the force that evokes a psychophysical response1. Hot or cold thermal stimuli can be used as a ramped stimulus or as a fixed intensity stimulus. The sensory threshold is determined as the temperature at which there is a response or the latency to respond to the stimulus. Punctate pressure sensory thresholds are measured using electronic von Frey anesthesiometers or von Frey hair filaments, deep pressure is measured using handheld pressure algometers, and thermal sensory thresholds are determined using a variety of contact thermode systems.
QST provides information about the functioning of both peripheral and central sensory pathways and can be used to evaluate alterations in these sensory pathways (algoplasticity) in various disease processes, particularly those that cause chronic pain1. Meissner&#39;s corpuscles detect punctate pressure, and the sensation is transmitted by A&#946; afferent fibers at non-noxious levels and A&#948; afferent fibers when the stimulus is of a noxious intensity1,2. Deep pressure is detected by Pacinian corpuscles and transmitted by C afferent fibers, noxious heat is detected by Ruffini corpuscles and transmitted by A&#948; and C afferent fibers, and noxious cold is detected by Krause corpuscles and transmitted by C afferent fibers1,2. QST can be used to detect both inhibition (decreased sensitivity, hypoesthesia) and facilitation (increased sensitivity, hyperesthesia) of these receptors and pathways. In dogs, QST has been used to evaluate alterations in sensory thresholds secondary to acute spinal cord injury3,4,5, Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia6, cranial cruciate ligament rupture5,7, and osteoarthritis (OA)8,9,10. Additionally, some studies have used QST to assess pain alleviation provided by certain analgesics6,11,12,13 and surgical procedures14. These studies have provided important insights into the mechanisms of pain sensation in dogs, such as evidence for peripheral and central sensitization after surgery and diseases causing chronic pain states such as cranial cruciate ligament rupture and OA. This information can help improve the detection and treatment of pain in dogs.
Validation studies of mechanical and hot thermal QST in dogs have shown good feasibility, repeatability, and reliability of QST results over time in normal dogs and dogs with chronic pain from OA8,9,15,16. However, several studies have found poor repeatability and reliability of cold thermal and occasionally von Frey QST1,15,17. These studies used different equipment and methodology but provided evidence that mechanical and hot thermal QST is an accurate, semi-quantitative method of measuring sensory thresholds in dogs. However, attention to precise details, including the setting of the measurements, is critical to optimizing QST in dogs, necessitating a standardized protocol for QST. Sanchis-Mora et al. detailed a sensory threshold examination protocol (STEP) for mechanical and hot and cold thermal QST but encountered difficulty with dogs not responding to the cold thermal QST or the highest gram force von Frey filament used in the study17. The following protocol provides a standard method for mechanical and hot thermal QST in dogs; this protocol can assess sensory thresholds in normal dogs or dogs with various disease processes affecting the somatosensory system. The development of standardized protocols may allow for comparing results across studies and meta-analyses of data to improve the utility of QST in veterinary medicine.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Electronic von Frey anesthesiometer</td>
			<td>IITC Life Science Inc.</td>
			<td>Item # 23931</td>
			<td>Custom made with a 1000g max force load cell</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Medoc Main Station software</td>
			<td>Medoc</td>
			<td>(supplied with TSA-II)</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>SMALGO: SMall Animal ALGOmeter</td>
			<td>Bioseb</td>
			<td>Model VETALGO</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>TSA-II NeuroSensory Analyzer</td>
			<td>Medoc</td>
			<td>DC 00072 TSA-II</td>
			<td>No longer manufactured - new model is TSA-2 with same probes and same function</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

assessment of sensory thresholds in dogs using mechanical and hot thermal quantitative sensory testing

Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is used to evaluate the function of the somatosensory system in dogs by assessing the response to applied mechanical and thermal stimuli. QST is used to determine normal dogs&#39; sensory thresholds and evaluate alterations in peripheral and central sensory pathways caused by various disease states, including osteoarthritis, spinal cord injury, and cranial cruciate ligament rupture. Mechanical sensory thresholds are measured by electronic von Frey anesthesiometers and pressure algometers. They are determined as the force at which the dog exhibits a response indicating conscious stimulus perception. Hot thermal sensory thresholds are the latency to respond to a fixed or ramped temperature stimulus applied by a contact thermode.
Following a consistent protocol for performing QST and paying attention to details of the testing environment, procedure, and individual study subjects are critical for obtaining accurate QST results for dogs. Protocols for the standardized collection of QST data in dogs have not been described in detail. QST should be performed in a quiet, distraction-free environment that is comfortable for the dog, the QST operator, and the handler. Ensuring that the dog is calm, relaxed, and properly positioned for each measurement helps produce reliable, consistent responses to the stimuli and makes the testing process more manageable. The QST operator and handler should be familiar and comfortable with handling dogs and interpreting dogs&#39; behavioral responses to potentially painful stimuli to determine the endpoint of testing, reduce stress, and maintain safety during the testing process.

Mechanical and thermal QST has been performed to detect sensory thresholds in both research and client-owned dogs under various clinical conditions, including normal, healthy dogs, dogs with chronically painful conditions such as OA, dogs with acute spinal cord injury, and to assess post-operative pain and effectiveness of analgesics. Though there is a growing body of work on QST in dogs, no normal range of values has been established for any testing modalities. However, several studies have assessed the feasibility and ...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Assessment of Sensory Thresholds in Dogs Using Mechanical and Hot Thermal Quantitative Sensory Testing at JoVE.com

Assessment of Sensory Thresholds in Dogs Using Mechanical and Hot Thermal Quantitative Sensory Testing

This work describes a standard protocol for mechanical and hot thermal quantitative sensory testing to evaluate the somatosensory system in dogs. Sensory thresholds are measured using an electronic von Frey anesthesiometer, pressure algometer, and hot contact thermode.

Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is used to evaluate the function of the somatosensory system in dogs by assessing the response to applied mechanical ...

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