Background and aims
For efficient back and forward translation between bench and bedside it is vital to know the predictive value of animal and human paradigms. Diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNIC) are measured in the rat and conditioned pain modulation (CPM), the supposed clinical paradigm of DNIC, is measured in humans. In the normal situation activation of functional DNIC or CPM by a distally-placed noxious conditioning stimulus inhibits pain responses. Researchers are still uncovering the precise nature of factors that influence the expression of both inhibitory controls. This study aimed to certify the translational worth of the two paradigms. 
Methods
Using electrophysiology in naïve rats we recorded the responses of deep dorsal horn neurons to a range of innocuous and noxious von Frey filaments, or cuff pressure applied to the hind paw, in the presence of a conditioning stimulus (painful cuff pressure on the contralateral leg). In healthy human volunteers, we repeated the cuff algometry procedure in a CPM test-retest study. 
Results
We demonstrate that cuff algometry induces significant inhibition of neuronal responses in the rat which correlates with the results obtained in healthy human volunteers; functional CPM or DNIC expression is evident using cuff algometry with a fixed cuff-pressure conditioning stimulus.  
Conclusions
Cuff algometry, used to activate functional CPM/DNIC, is a valid tool when considering translational output between rat and human. It is crucial to link preclinical research data with clinical findings such that new therapeutic targets can be revealed. This way prescribed analgesic potential can be optimised.

PRECLINICAL AND CLINICAL MEASUREMENTS OF DESCENDING CONTROLS: A TRANSLATIONAL STUDY