TOPICS COVERED IN THIS CHAPTER Peripheral pain mechanisms Primary afferent nociceptors Visceral afferents Sympathetic nervous system Peripheral sensitisation/inflammation Role of nerve growth factor in peripheral sensitisation Silent nociceptors Peripheral nerve injury Clinical implications for peripheral analgesic action Dorsal horn mechanisms Termination sites of primary afferents Outputs fro...

In addition to being a key component of the autonomic nervous system, acetylcholine acts as a prominent neurotransmitter and neuromodulator upon release from key groups of cholinergic projection neurons and interneurons distributed across the central nervous system. It has been more than forty years since it was discovered that cholinergic transmission profoundly modifies the perception of pain...

OBJECTIVE Aim of the study was to verify the efficacy of "mesodiencephalic" modulation (MDM), as named by the commercial promoters, in reducing symptoms accompanying painful diabetic neuropathy and in improving mental health. METHODS 32 patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus, with painful neuropathy, were enrolled in the prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study. T...

Previous studies suggest that religious prayer can alter the experience of pain via expectation mechanisms. While brain processes related to other types of top-down modulation of pain have been studied extensively, no research has been conducted on the potential effects of active religious coping. Here, we aimed at investigating the neural mechanisms during pain modulation by prayer and their d...

Recent discoveries in itch neurophysiology include itch-selective neuronal pathways, the clinically relevant non-histaminergic pathway, and elucidation of the notable similarities and differences between itch and pain. Potential involvement of glial cells in itch processing and the possibility of glial modulation of chronic itch have recently been identified, similarly to the established glial ...

The involvement of the reticular formation (RF) in the transmission and modulation of nociceptive information has been extensively studied. The brainstem RF contains several areas which are targeted by spinal cord afferents conveying nociceptive input. The arrival of nociceptive input to the RF may trigger alert reactions which generate a protective/defense reaction to pain. RF neurons located ...

Our understanding of the neural correlates of pain perception in humans has increased significantly since the advent of neuroimaging. Relating neural activity changes to the varied pain experiences has led to an increased awareness of how factors (e.g., cognition, emotion, context, injury) can separately influence pain perception. Tying this body of knowledge in humans to work in animal models ...