Functional Neuroanatomy of Pain

Pain is an unpleasant but very important biological signal for danger. Nociception is necessary for survival and maintaining the integrity of the organism in a potentially hostile environment. Pain is both a sensory experience and a perceptual metaphor for damage and it is activated by noxious stimuli that act on a complex pain sensory apparatus. However, chronic pain having no more a protective role can become a ruining disease itself, termed "neuropathic pain".

List of contents

Introduction.- Functional neuroanatomy of the pain system.- Primary afferent neuron.- Distribution of nociceptor peripheral endings.- Termination in the spinal cord and spinal trigeminal nucleus.- Ascending pathways of the spinal cord and of the STN.- Dorsal column nuclei and nociception.- Cerebellum and nociception.- Cortices involved in pain perception and thalamocortical projection.- Descending modulatory pathways.- Neuropathic pain.- Central changes consequent to peripheral nerve injury.- The role of glial cells.- Neuropathology of herpes zoster (HZ) and of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).- Diabetic neuropathic pain.- Cancer neuropathic pain.- Central neuropathic pain.- Concluding remarks.- Summary.- Subject index.

Summary

Pain is an unpleasant but very important biological signal for danger. Nociception is necessary for survival and maintaining the integrity of the organism in a potentially hostile environment. Pain is both a sensory experience and a perceptual metaphor for damage and it is activated by noxious stimuli that act on a complex pain sensory apparatus. However, chronic pain having no more a protective role can become a ruining disease itself, termed "neuropathic pain".

Product details

• Authors: Popratiloff, A Popratiloff, A. Popratiloff, Anastas Popratiloff, Oliver Schmitt, Oliver et al Schmitt, K Usunoff, K G Usunoff, K. G. Usunoff, K.G. Usunoff, Kamen G. Usunoff, Andreas Wree
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.2006
• EAN: 9783540281627
• ISBN: 978-3-540-28162-7
• No. of pages: 120
• Weight: 265 g
• Illustrations: 6 SW-Abb., 13 Farbabb., IX, 119 p. 19 illus.
• Series: Advances in Anatomy, Embryology and Cell Biology; Advances in Anatomy, Embryology and Cell Biology
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Medicine > Non-clinical medicine; B, Perception, Neuroscience, Neurosciences, Biomedical and Life Sciences, pain perception, postherpetic neuralgia