Book Description:
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).

Table of Contents:
Preface

1. Understanding Central Mechanisms of Pain and Pain Modulation; pp. 1-23
(Anthony H. Dickenson, University College London, UK)

2. Ion Channel Blockers in Clinical Pain Management; pp. 25-43
(Lucy Chen, Harvard Medical School, USA)

3. Spinal N-methyl-D-asparate Receptor Mechanisms of Central Sensitization and Pain Following Tissue Injury; pp. 45-78
(Wei Guo et al., University of Maryland, USA)

4. NMDA Receptor Antagonists and Clinical Pain Management; pp. 79-86 (Jianren Mao, Harvard Medical School, USA)

5. Plasticity of Signaling Molecules and their Associations after Chronic Morphine: Altered but not Lost Opiod Receptor-Coupled Functionality; pp. 87-107
(Alan Gintzler and Sumita Chakrabarti, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, USA)

6. Opiod for Pain Management; pp. 109-146
(Howard S. Smith and Gary McCleane, Albany Medical College, USA)

7. Inflammatory Cytokines in Preclinical Studies; pp. 147-154
(Tarek Samad, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, USA)

8. Anti-Inflammatory Medications in Pain Management; pp. 155-167 (Ezekiel Fink and Gary Brenner, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, USA)

9. Chronic Pain and the Sympathetic Nervous System: Mechanisms and Potential Implications for Pain Therapies; pp. 169-188
(Amit Sharma and Srinivasa N. Raja, John's Hopkins Hospital, USA)

10. Mechanisms of Tricyclic Antidepressants in Pain Medicine; pp. 189-206
(Peter Gerner and Ging Kuo Wang, Brigham Women's Hospital, USA)

11. Antidepressant Medication in Clinical Pain Management; pp. 207-219
(Donna Greenberg, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, USA)

12. Developing Pain Pathways and Analgesic Mechanisms: Towards Translational Studies; pp. 221-238
(Maria Fitzgerald, University College London, UK)

13. Pediatric Pain: In Translation; pp. 239-252
(Alyssa Lebel, Children's Hospital, USA)

14. Selective Serotonin Agonists for the Acute Management of Migraine; pp. 253-276
(David M. Biondi, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, USA)

15. Gender Differences in Clinical Pain Management; pp. 277-294 (Anita Holdcroft, Chelsea and Westminister Hospital, UK)

16. Clinical Management of Cancer Pain; pp. 295-315
(Anca Popescu, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, USA and Daniela E. Hord, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, USA)

17. Alternative Medicine in Pain Management: Preclinical Evidence and Clinical Application; pp. 317-330
(Lucy Chen, Harvard Medical School, USA)

Index