An improved pinch test for assessing pain and antinociception in rats

ABSTRACT

The present paper describes a simple and inexpensive device for assessing responses of rats to calibrated noxious pinching of the dorsal skin. The method has advantages over the classic pinch test because it permits assesment of slight variations in the nociceptive threshold with little risk of skin damage, and a more precise evaluation of changes in the time course of antinociceptive procedures. The magnitude and time course of analgesia induced by morphine are evaluated using this method and the tail-flick test