Inflammation alters sodium currents and excitability of temporomandibular joint afferents

Inflammation-induced changes in voltage-gated sodium currents (INa) in primary afferent neurons may contribute to hyperexcitability and pain. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that persistent inflammation of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) increases INa in TMJ afferents. Acutely dissociated retrogradely labeled TMJ afferents were studied using whole-cell patch clamp techniques three days following Complete Freund's Adjuvant-induced inflammation of the TMJ. Inflammation was associated with a decrease in tetrodotoxin (TTX)-sensitive Na+ conductance and no significant change in slowly inactivating TTX-resistant Na+ conductance. However, inflammation increased the excitability of TMJ afferents. These results suggest that changes in ion channels other than those underlying TTX-sensitive and the slowly inactivating TTX-resistant Na+ conductance are likely to account for the inflammation-induced increase in the excitability of TMJ afferents.