Mechanistic insights into pain pathways are essential for a rational approach to treating this vast and increasing clinical problem. Sensory neurons that respond to tissue damage (nociceptors) may evoke pain sensations and are typically classified on the basis of action potential velocity. Electrophysiological studies have suggested that most of the C-fiber nociceptors are polymodal, responding...

Antidepressants that block the reuptake of noradrenaline and/or serotonin are among the first-line treatments for neuropathic pain, although the mechanisms underlying this analgesia remain unclear. The noradrenergic locus coeruleus is an essential element of both the ascending and descending pain modulator systems regulated by these antidepressants. Hence, we investigated the effect of analgesi...

OBJECTIVE To determine the sensitivity of the Nociception Coma Scale (NCS), the first scale developed to assess nociceptive pain in vegetative state and minimally conscious state patients, in comparing behavioural changes in response to noxious versus non-noxious stimulation. METHODS The NCS was administered to assess patients' responses in three conditions: (1) baseline (observation of spont...

Neurons in the rostroventromedial medulla (RVM) project to spinal loci where the neurons inhibit or facilitate pain transmission. Abnormal activity of facilitatory processes may thus represent a mechanism of chronic pain. This possibility and the phenotype of RVM cells that might underlie experimental neuropathic pain were investigated. Cells expressing mu-opioid receptors were targeted with a ...

Abstract How should a new political economy conceive of the role markets in just society? Markets clearly play an important efficiently allocating labor and goods, disseminating information, enabling cooperation among people who disagree with one another about how to live, allowing individuals ‘ choices where direct their talents resources. But acknowledging that does not mean this is simple or...

These studies examined Fos protein expression in spinal cord neurons synaptically activated by stimulation of bladder afferent pathways after cyclophosphamide (CYP)-induced bladder inflammation. In urethan-anesthetized Wistar rats with cystitis, intravesical saline distension significantly (P </= 0.0005) increased the number of Fos-immunoreactive (IR) cells observed in the rostral lumbar (L1, 3...