Pain is an inevitable part of existence, but severe debilitating or chronic pain is a pathological condition that diminishes the quality of life. The Brain and Pain explores the present and future of pain management, providing a comprehensive understanding based on the latest discoveries from many branches of neuroscience. Richard Ambron—the former director of a neuroscience lab that conducted leading research in this field—explains the science of how and why we feel pain. He describes how the nervous system and brain process information that leads to the experience of pain, detailing the cellular and molecular functions that are responsible for the initial perceptions of an injury. He discusses how pharmacological agents such as opiates affect the duration and intensity of pain. Ambron examines new evidence showing that discrete circuits in the brain modulate the experience of pain in response to a placebo, fear, anxiety, belief, or other circumstances, as well as how pain can be relieved by activating these circuits using mindfulness training and other nonpharmacological treatments. The book also evaluates the prospects of procedures such as deep brain stimulation and optogenetics. Current and thorough, The Brain and Pain will be invaluable for a range of people seeking to understand their options for treatment as well as students in neuroscience and medicine.

Neuroscience of Pain, Stress, and Emotion: Psychological and Clinical Implications presents updated research on stress, pain, and emotion, all key research areas within both basic and clinical neuroscience. Improved research understanding of their interaction is ultimately necessary if clinicians and those working in the field of psychosomatic medicine are to alleviate patient suffering. This volume offers broad coverage of that interaction, with chapters written by major researchers in the field. After reviewing the neuroscience of pain and stress, the contents go on to address the interaction between stress and chronic/acute pain, the role of different emotions in pain, neurobiological mechanisms mediating these various interactions, individual differences in both stress and pain, the role of patient expectations during treatment (placebo and nocebo responses), and how those relate to stress modulation. While there are books on the market which discuss pain, stress, and emotion separately, this volume is the first to tackle their nexus, thus appealing to both researchers and clinicians. Represents the only comprehensive reference detailing the link between pain, stress and emotion, covering the neuroscientific underpinnings, related psychological processes, and clinical implications Compiles, in one place, research which promises to improve the methodology of clinical trials and the use of knowledge of pain-stress-emotion effects in order to reduce patients’ suffering Provides comprehensive chapters authored by global leaders in the field, the broadest, most expert coverage available

The last decade has seen major advances in the neurobiology of pain, primarily resulting from a deeper understanding of the way in which pain signals are coded and processed in the nervous system. This volume in the Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology is the first book for many years to present an integrated overview of the current state of research into the neurobiology of chronic and acute pain. While recent molecular aspects of nociception are covered in some detail, the book also emphasises the importance of viewing the pain experience as the co-ordinated response of many different areas of the nervous system. The molecular advances are set in the context of the neurobiological system of pain processing. The appropriate behavioural response to injury can therefore be thought of as the result of the integration of information processed within areas of the brain concerned with cognition, affect, sensory discrimination and movement. Chapters cover recent advances in nociceptor transduction mechanisms, nociceptor plasticity and the biochemical anatomy of pain pathways. Other contributions are concerned with the development of pain systems and with the central processing of nociceptive information studied with brain imaging techniques. Several chapters additionally cover the mechanisms of clinically important pain states such as neuropathic pain, cancer related pain and migraine. A new volume in the Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology series, this volume presents a state-of-the-art account of the neurobiological basis of pain, edited and written by the leading scientists in this field.

The Oxford Handbook of the Neurobiology of Pain represents a state of the art overview of the rapidly developing field of pain research. As populations age, the number of people in pain is growing dramatically, with half the population living with pain. The opioid crisis has highlighted this problem. The present volume is thus very timely, providing expert overviews of many complex topics in pain research that are likely to be of interest not just to pain researchers, but also to pain clinicians who are seeking new therapeutic opportunities to develop analgesics. Many of the topics covered are of interest to neuroscientists, as pain is one of the most amenable sensations for mechanistic dissection. The present volume covers all aspects of the topic, from a history of pain through invertebrate model systems to the human genetics of pain and functional imaging. Chapters include the role of ion channels, the opioid system, the immune and sympathetic systems, as well as the mechanisms that transform acute to chronic pain. Migraine and the interplay between sleep and pain are also discussed. New technology in the form of transgenic animals, chemogenetics, optogenetics, and proteomic analyses are providing significant advances in our research and are covered as well. Demystifying pain through an understanding of its fundamental biology, as outlined in this volume, is the most direct route to ameliorating this vast human problem.

Introduction to Pain and its relation to Nervous System Disorders provides an accessible overview of the latest developments in the science underpinning pain research, including, but not limited to, the physiological, pathological and psychological aspects. This unique book fills a gap in current literature by focussing on the intricate relationship between pain and human nervous system disorders such as Autism, Alzheimer Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Depression and Multiple Sclerosis. This fully illustrated, colour handbook will help non-experts, including advanced undergraduate and new postgraduate students, become familiar with the current, wide-ranging areas of research that cover every aspect of the field from chronic and inflammatory pain to neuropathic pain and biopsychosocial models of pain, functional imaging and genetics. Contributions from leading experts in neuroscience and psychiatry provide both factual information and critical points of view on their approach and the theoretical framework behind their choices. An appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of brain imaging technology applied to pain research in humans provides the tools required to understand current cutting edge literature on the topic. Chapters covering placebo effects in analgesia and the psychology of pain give a thorough overview of cognitive, psychological and social influences on pain perception. Sections exploring pain in the lifecycle and in relation to nervous system disorders take particular relevance from a clinical point of view. Furthermore, an intellectually stimulating chapter analysing the co-morbidity of pain and depression provides a philosophical angle rarely presented in related handbooks. The references to external research databases and relevant websites aim to prompt readers to become critical and independent thinkers, and motivate them to carry out further reading on these topics. Introduction to Pain and its relation to Nervous System Disorders is essential reading for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students in neuroscience, medical and biomedical sciences, as well as for clinical and medical healthcare professionals involved in pain management.

The Neuroscience of Pain, Anesthetics and Analgesics examines the syndromes of pain and how they interlink with anesthesia and analgesics. The book covers assessments, screening and resources, and provides applications to related areas of medicine. It explores how the perception of pain results from a multifaceted interaction between illness beliefs, age, gender, time of onset, stress, socioeconomic status, and other factors. In addition, it scrutinizes how the neuroscience of pain in one condition may be relevant to understanding pain observed in other conditions. Sections address the onset of pain, the cause of pain, and the administration of analgesia or anesthesia. The book works to clarify all of the subjects pertinent to anesthesia and the brain. Featuring chapters on neurotransmitters, pharmacology and brain imaging, this volume discusses the mechanisms of pain and experimental studies undertaken to better understand the pathways involved. Includes content on the features and assessments of pain, anesthesia and analgesia Provides a mini-dictionary of terms and summary points that succinctly encapsulate each chapter Covers a broad range of topics related to the neuroscience of analgesics and anesthetics Helps readers navigate key areas for research and further clinical recommendations Features chapters on molecular pathways, imaging and a deep look at behavior associated with the experience of pain