Animal Models of Central Post-Stroke Pain: A Scoping Review

Central post-stroke pain (CPSP) is a neuropathic pain condition associated with cerebrovascular injury affecting the central somatosensory system. Animal models provide opportunities to investigate its biological mechanisms and explore potential interventions. However, differences in injury methods, lesion locations, behavioral assessments, and observation schedules complicate comparisons across studies and the selection of models for specific experimental questions. This scoping review aims to systematically identify and map animal models relevant to CPSP, with particular attention to their pain-related phenotypes, temporal profiles, and research applications. The review will address four questions: (1) Which animal species, cerebrovascular injury methods, and lesion locations have been investigated? (2) Which pain-related behaviors and assessment methods have been reported? (3) At what time points have these behaviors been assessed, and how extensively have their development and persistence been examined? (4) How have these models been used in mechanistic and intervention studies, and where do important evidence gaps remain? The review will follow JBI methodological guidance and will be reported using PRISMA-ScR. Eligible evidence will comprise original in vivo studies involving experimental cerebrovascular injury in non-human animals and at least one pain-related or nociceptive behavioral assessment. Associated affective, sleep, cognitive, or functional outcomes will be charted when reported alongside eligible pain-related assessments. Purely nonvascular injury models will be excluded from the core evidence map. Searches will cover multiple bibliographic databases and be supplemented by citation tracking. Eligibility criteria and data-charting procedures will be specified in the protocol and piloted before full implementation.