The discovery of genetic variants that substantially alter an individual's perception of pain has led to a step-change in our understanding of molecular events underlying the detection and transmission of noxious stimuli by the peripheral nervous system. For example, the voltage-gated sodium ion channel Nav1.7 is expressed selectively in sensory and autonomic neurons; inactivating mutations in ...

Empathy is a complex form of psychological inference that enables us to understand the personal experience of another person through cognitive/evaluative and affective processes. Recent findings suggest that empathy for pain may involve a 'mirror-matching' simulation of the affective and sensory features of others' pain. Despite such evidence for a shared representation of self and other pain a...