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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Comparison of Threshold and Tolerance Nociceptive Withdrawal...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2021; 11(12); 3380; doi: 10.3390/ani11123380

Comparison of Threshold and Tolerance Nociceptive Withdrawal Reflexes in Horses.

Abstract: The nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR) is used to investigate nociception in horses. The NWR threshold is a classical model endpoint. The aims of this study were to determine NWR tolerance and to compare threshold and tolerance reflexes in horses. In 12 horses, the NWR was evoked through electrical stimulation of the digital nerve and recorded via electromyography from the deltoid. Behavioral reactions were scored from 0 to 5 (tolerance). First, the individual NWR threshold was defined, then stimulation intensity was increased to tolerance. The median NWR threshold was 7.0 mA, whereas NWR tolerance was 10.7 mA. Upon visual inspection of the records, two main reflex components R1 (median latency 44 ms) and R2 (median latency 81 ms) were identified at threshold. Increasing stimulation intensity to tolerance led to a significant increase in the amplitude and duration of R1 and R2, whereas their latency decreased. At tolerance, a single burst of early, high-amplitude reflex activity, with a median latency of 39 ms, was detected in 15 out of 23 stimulations (65%). The results of this study suggest that (1) it is feasible to determine NWR tolerance in horses and (2) high-intensity stimuli initiate ultrafast bursts of reflex activity, which is well known in practice and has now been quantified using the NWR model.
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Publication Date: 2021-11-26 PubMed ID: 34944157PubMed Central: PMC8698093DOI: 10.3390/ani11123380Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research paper investigates the tolerance and threshold of the nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR) in horses. The researchers concluded that it’s feasible to determine NWR tolerance in horses, and that high-intensity stimuli bring about ultrafast bursts of reflex activity.

Study Design and Methods

  • The study was conducted on 12 horses and used the nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR) to examine nociception (the sensation of painful stimuli) in the animals.
  • Electrodes were attached to the horses’ digital nerves to evoke the NWR, and an electromyograph was used to record the reflex from the deltoid muscle.
  • The researchers first determined the NWR threshold, which is the minimal stimulus intensity required to elicit a reflex.
  • After that, they increased the stimulation intensity to reach the tolerance level, defined as the maximum level of painful stimulation a horse could endure before presenting a behavioral reaction.

Results and Findings

  • The research found that the median NWR threshold in horses was 7.0 mA, and NWR tolerance was 10.7 mA.
  • Upon analysis of the recorded data, two major reflex components, named R1 and R2, were identified at the threshold level. R1 had a median latency of 44 ms and R2 had a median latency of 81 ms.
  • When the stimulus intensity was increased to tolerance, the amplitude (strength) and duration of both R1 and R2 significantly increased, while their latency (time from stimulus application to reflex response) decreased.
  • At the tolerance level, an early, high-amplitude reflex activity burst was observed in 15 out of 23 stimulations, with a median latency of 39 ms. This suggests that high-intensity stimuli initiate ultrafast bursts of reflex activity.

Conclusions and Implications

  • This study demonstrates that determining the NWR tolerance in horses is viable, showing potential for further research in this area.
  • The finding of ultrafast bursts of reflex activity initiated by high-intensity stimuli could provide more insight into the pain responses of horses, which could potentially inform practices for preventing and treating pain in these animals.

Cite This Article

APA
Mühlemann S, Leandri M, Risberg ÅI, Spadavecchia C. (2021). Comparison of Threshold and Tolerance Nociceptive Withdrawal Reflexes in Horses. Animals (Basel), 11(12), 3380. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11123380

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Issue: 12
PII: 3380

Researcher Affiliations

Mühlemann, Selina
  • Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Anaesthesia Section, Vetsuisse Faculty Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
Leandri, Massimo
  • Department of Neuroscience, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy.
Risberg, Åse Ingvild
  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1433 Ås, Norway.
Spadavecchia, Claudia
  • Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Anaesthesia Section, Vetsuisse Faculty Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors are not compensated and there are no other institutional subsidies, corporate affiliations, or funding sources supporting this work.

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Musial F, Weiss T. What if Horses Were Humans? Comparing Rein Tension and Bit Pressures to Human Pressure Pain Thresholds. Animals (Basel) 2025 Oct 15;15(20).
    doi: 10.3390/ani15202989pubmed: 41153916google scholar: lookup
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