Recent advances in elucidating pain mechanisms

Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology
Nalini Vadivelu, Raymond Sinatra

Abstract

The purpose of this review is to highlight the important recent advances in this fast developing field of pain mechanisms. It is now recognized that acute tissue and neural injuries can result in nociceptor sensitization (primary hyperalgesia) and spinal cord hyperexcitability or central sensitization that results in secondary hyperalgesia and allodynia. New findings regarding peripheral and central sensitization are presented in this review. Newer ideas on pain modulation, pain states and pain syndromes, mechanisms of chronic pain, newer opioid and non opioid medications including newer N-methyl-D-asparate antagonists, cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors and membrane stabilizing analgesics as well as pain control at the genetic level are discussed. The research of the last decade has focused on the biochemical and structural plasticity of the nervous system following tissue and nerve injury. The mechanisms involved in the transition from acute to chronic pain are complex with the involvement of interacting receptor systems and intracellular ion flux, second messenger systems, new synaptic connections and apoptosis.

References

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Citations

Sep 27, 2007·Current Pain and Headache Reports·Paola SarchielliPaolo Calabresi
May 27, 2008·Neuroscience Bulletin·Dong-Yue HuangQiu-Wei Fan
Apr 21, 2012·The Journal of Pain : Official Journal of the American Pain Society·Jay S ReidlerFelipe Fregni
Feb 19, 2008·Neuroscience·O A DinaJ D Levine
Jun 12, 2014·Frontiers in Neurology·Rachel EgyhaziJeffrey C Schneider
Jan 15, 2021·American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation·Linda ResnikMelissa A Clark

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Apoptosis

Apoptosis is a specific process that leads to programmed cell death through the activation of an evolutionary conserved intracellular pathway leading to pathognomic cellular changes distinct from cellular necrosis