Translational Pain Research Current Status And New Trends

Basic science and clinical pain research is particularly challenging for several reasons. First, pain is a subjective experience in response to nociception that follows actual or potential tissue damage. Since the ability to respond to this warning signal is essential for our survival, the nociceptive system that produces and transmits nociceptive signals is remarkably redundant and involves diffuse regions of the central nervous system. Second, unlike other sensory modalities, pain is a multi-dimensional experience including at least cognitive, affective, and sensory-discriminative components. Third, pain experiences can be influenced by psychological, socioeconomic, cultural, and genetic predispositions, making it exceedingly complicated to study pain and pain modulation. In this first volume, the current status and new trends of pain research are selectively discussed in order to take a critical and constructive look at the achievements of basic science research that have made significant differences in clinical pain management as well as the gaps between basic science research and clinical pain management.

Drug overdose, driven largely by overdose related to the use of opioids, is now the leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States. The ongoing opioid crisis lies at the intersection of two public health challenges: reducing the burden of suffering from pain and containing the rising toll of the harms that can arise from the use of opioid medications. Chronic pain and opioid use disorder both represent complex human conditions affecting millions of Americans and causing untold disability and loss of function. In the context of the growing opioid problem, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched an Opioids Action Plan in early 2016. As part of this plan, the FDA asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to convene a committee to update the state of the science on pain research, care, and education and to identify actions the FDA and others can take to respond to the opioid epidemic, with a particular focus on informing FDA's development of a formal method for incorporating individual and societal considerations into its risk-benefit framework for opioid approval and monitoring.

Chronic pain costs the nation up to $635 billion each year in medical treatment and lost productivity. The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act required the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to enlist the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in examining pain as a public health problem. In this report, the IOM offers a blueprint for action in transforming prevention, care, education, and research, with the goal of providing relief for people with pain in America. To reach the vast multitude of people with various types of pain, the nation must adopt a population-level prevention and management strategy. The IOM recommends that HHS develop a comprehensive plan with specific goals, actions, and timeframes. Better data are needed to help shape efforts, especially on the groups of people currently underdiagnosed and undertreated, and the IOM encourages federal and state agencies and private organizations to accelerate the collection of data on pain incidence, prevalence, and treatments. Because pain varies from patient to patient, healthcare providers should increasingly aim at tailoring pain care to each person's experience, and self-management of pain should be promoted. In addition, because there are major gaps in knowledge about pain across health care and society alike, the IOM recommends that federal agencies and other stakeholders redesign education programs to bridge these gaps. Pain is a major driver for visits to physicians, a major reason for taking medications, a major cause of disability, and a key factor in quality of life and productivity. Given the burden of pain in human lives, dollars, and social consequences, relieving pain should be a national priority.

This book offers a series of authoritative reviews on pain in psychiatric disorders written by leading experts. They discuss the complex interplay between pain and psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression and borderline personality disorder, as well as neurosteroids, epigenetic mechanisms and TRPV1, with a strong focus on neurobiological mechanisms and current and future therapeutic targets. Special attention is given to the importance of inflammation and the immune system as a common substrate in both pain and psychiatric disorders. The state-of-the-art reviews present both preclinical and clinical research, providing the reader with sound knowledge that provides a basis for further research and clinical practice. Pain in Psychiatric Disorders is of special interest to psychiatrists, neurologists, neuroscientists, pharmacologists and other healthcare professionals treating pain in psychiatric patients, as well as research students with an interest in this field.

One of the Most Rapidly Advancing Fields in Modern Neuroscience The success of molecular biology and the new tools derived from molecular genetics have revolutionized pain research and its translation to therapeutic effectiveness. Bringing together recent advances in modern neuroscience regarding genetic studies in mice and humans and the practicality of clinical trials, Translational Pain Research: From Mouse to Man effectively bridges the gap between basic research and patient care by humanely examining rodent models for pain associated with bone cancer, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and cardiac episodes. Distinguished Team of International Contributors In addition to addressing the groundbreaking technical advances in tract tracing, endocannabinoids, cannabis, gene therapy, siRNA gene studies, and the role of glia, cytokines, P2X receptors and ATP, this book also presents cutting-edge information on: Nociceptor sensitization Muscle nociceptors and metabolite detection Visceral afferents in disease Innovative rodent model for bone cancer pain Highly specific receptor cloning Modular molecular mechanisms relevant to painful neuropathies This sharply focused work also discusses unexpected discoveries derived from brain-imaging studies related to thalamic pain. Translational Pain Research covers the progress made toward bringing laboratory science (much of it at the molecular level) to our understanding of pain phenomena in humans, with the ultimate goal of reducing the suffering that often accompanies pain and its indirect consequences.

Pain: A textbook for health professionals provides a comprehensive guide to pain and pain management with a focus on interprofessional practice. Written by internationally acclaimed authors and fully updated to reflect latest evidence and understanding, this book bridges the gap between theoretical underpinning and practice for assessment and management of patients with persistent pain – all in clear and accessible language. Now in its third edition, the text emphasises personal aspects of pain and the therapeutic alliance, as well as social and cultural aspects of pain, pain education for patients, and multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary working. It will provide both students and clinicians with a new lens through which to understand a person’s pain experience, as well as tools for effective management. Comprehensive information about all aspects of pain and pain management Relevant to a wide audience – suitable for physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, nurses and GPs, as well as undergraduate students Factual and informative for clinicians in everyday practice Includes information on acute as well as chronic pain New chapters on communication, the language of pain, pain education for patients, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary working, and inequities in pain including pain in low- and middle-income countries and amongst indigenous peoples Updated chapters with new information about the psychology of pain Now with full colour artworks and page design

This multi-faceted book provides readers with comprehensive guidance to spine pain care. Unique in structure, the contents integrate various specialties involved in spine pain care, thereby bringing in new prospective and expanding readership. This six part reference begins with a review on the epidemiology and economic impacts that present clinical and financial challenges for spine pain care. Part two then brings the reader into a review of the anatomy, pathophysiology, and etiology of spine pain. Subsequent parts then dive into clinical evaluation tactics, unique disease conditions and treatment options. Finally, the book closes with two chapters discussing the challenges of spine pain medicine and the potential future directions of the field. Written by experts in their respective fields, Spine Pain Care - A Comprehensive Clinical Guide is a first-of-its-kind, barrier breaking work designed for all professionals involved in spine pain care, including physicians and nurses, as well as medical students, residents and fellows as a supplementary educational material.

Basic science and clinical pain research is particularly challenging for several reasons. First, pain is a subjective experience in response to nociception that follows actual or potential tissue damage. Since the ability to respond to this warning signal is essential for our survival, the nociceptive system that produces and transmits nociceptive signals is remarkably redundant and involves diffuse regions of the central nervous system. Second, unlike other sensory modalities, pain is a multi-dimensional experience including at least cognitive, affective, and sensory-discriminative components. Third, pain experiences can be influenced by psychological, socioeconomic, cultural, and genetic predispositions, making it exceedingly complicated to study pain and pain modulation. The topics covered in this volume are carefully selected and directly related to the daily practice of pain medicine. These topics include 1) central mechanisms of pain and pain modulation (Dickenson, Donovan-Rodriguez, Mattews) and clinical use of ion channel blockers (Chen); 2) spinal glutamatergic mechanisms (Guo, Dubner, Ren) and issues related to glutamate receptor antagonists in pain management (Mao); 3) basic science of opioid analgesics (Gintzler, Chakrabarti) and clinical opioid use (Smith, McCleane); 4) inflammatory cytokines (Samad) and clinical use of anti-inflammatory drugs (Fink, Brenner); 5) role of the sympathetic nervous system in pain mechanisms and its relation to clinical pain management (Sharma, Raja); 6) preclinical studies on tricyclic antidepressants (Gerner, Wang) and clinical use of antidepressants in pain management (Greenberg); 7) developing pain pathways and analgesic mechanisms during the developmental stage (Fitzgerald) and challenges of pediatric pain management (Lebel); 8) basic science mechanisms of serotonin agonists and their use in the clinical management of migraine headache (Biondi); 9) clinical research on gender differences in clinical pain and their implications for clinical pain management (Holdcroft); 10) current modalities of clinical cancer pain management (Popescu, Hord); and 11) preclinical and clinical information on alternative medicine (Chen).