Anti-TNF-α Therapy as a Potential Treatment for Comorbid Pain in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that occurs after exposure to a traumatic event. Chronic pain is one of the most frequent comorbidities for patients with PTSD and higher levels of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) have been detected in these patients. In a recent study, Dib et al (2021) used the single prolonged stress (SPS) animal model of PTSD and blocked TNF-α with either thalidomide or anti-TNF-α antibody. This way, the authors prevented mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in SPS-rats.