Pathophysiology of pain

Pain is a major symptom of many different diseases. Modern pain research has uncovered important neuronal mechanisms that are underlying clinically relevant pain states, and research goes on to define different types of pains on the basis of their neuronal and molecular mechanisms. This review will briefly outline neuronal mechanisms of pathophysiological nociceptive pain resulting from inflammation and injury, and neuropathic pain resulting from nerve damage. Pain is the sensation that is specifically evoked by potential or actual noxious (i.e. tissue damaging) stimuli or by tissue injury. Pain research has not only explored the neuronal and molecular basis of the pain system of the healthy subject but has also provided insights into the function and plasticity of the pain system during clinically relevant pains such as post-injury pain, inflammatory pain, postoperative pain, cancer pain and neuropathic pain. This review will briefly describe the pain system and then address neuronal mechanisms that are involved in clinical pain states.