​Approximately eight percent of patients who have a stroke will experience (CPPS), a major cause of central neuropathic pain. After a cortical, subcortical, thalamic, or lateral brainstem stroke, a lesion in the spinothalamiocortical pathway may develop, leading to CPPS.   There are several pain conditions that may present after stroke, such as gout, deep vein thrombosis, and musculoskeletal pain - CPPS is a diagnosis of exclusion.

There are five medication classes useful in treating CPSP:

1.  Membrane stabilizers: carbamazepine, lidocaine, mexiletine
2. Aminergic agents: amitriptyline, duloxetine
3. Glutamate antagonists: ketamine, lamotrigine
4. GABA agonists: thiopental, propofol, baclofen
5.  Calcium channel blockers: gabapentin, pregabalin