The development of pain as a common experience and its treatment is very important, not only where it is caused by injury or inflammation, but also in chronic states where the nerves themselves are damaged. Even though we already know from physiological studies that special pain receptors or nociceptors are responsible for conducting pain sensations to the brain, the phenomenon of pain remains a medical and social problem. Pain relief or analgesia can be achieved using several different approaches and strategies. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the most widely used analgesics. They have analgesic, antipyretic, and, at higher doses, anti-inflammatory actions. However, a few recent studies have demonstrated that in the case of their prolonged use, these non-opioid drugs elicit the opioid-like effect of tolerance, which alongside drug withdrawal syndrome may entail serious adverse effects. This book provides up-to-date review information and experimental findings concerning antinociceptive tolerance to NSAIDs. The first three chapters after the introduction are devoted to literature reviews on brain limbic areas, opioid and cannabinoid systems, and non-opioid antinociceptive tolerance. Chapters Five, Six and Seven describe research data on antinociceptive tolerance to NSAIDs and opioid and cannabinoid mechanisms of attenuation of nociceptive hyperalgesia in the cingulate cortex, insular cortex, and central amygdala. Chapters Eight, Nine and Ten include discussion, summary and conclusions, as well as a detailed description of experimental materials and methods.

This book provides an original account of behavioral aspects with important ramifications for the study of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels functioning. It explains, in terms of specified somato-sensory mechanisms and systems, how TRP channels work. Through exploration of animal models by testing paw withdrawal reflexes to thermal and mechanical stimuli, it is shown that TRP channels are promising targets for the development of a new group of analgesic drugs at the periphery and central levels and opportunities for therapeutic intervention.

Pain and itch are associated with a wide range of injuries and diseases. Some conditions may have pain and associated symptoms arising from a discrete cause, such as postoperative and neuropathic pains or headaches. Chronic itch or pruritus is a frequent symptom in the general population and in many skin and systemic diseases. Millions of people on the planet suffer from acute or chronic pain and itch every year, and the effects of pain and itch exact a tremendous cost on most countries concerning health care costs, rehabilitation and lost worker productivity, as well as the emotional and financial burden it places on patients and their families. Therefore, the synthesis and development of a new generation of analgesic drugs with lesser side effects are very important for society.This book provides an original account of behavioral, cellular and molecular aspects with important ramifications for the study of hyperalgesia and allodynia in pain and itch. It concentrates on the role of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels functioning in pain and itch states. It explains how TRP channels work in terms of specified somato-sensory mechanisms and systems. This book shows that TRP channels are promising targets for the development of a new group of analgesic drugs at the periphery and central levels and opportunities for therapeutic intervention.

Pain is a response of the body to the action of injuring stimuli. Notwithstanding an unpleasant experience, it appears to be an important component of the defence system of the organism and a permanent regulator of homeostatic reaction. The organism's reaction to pain is a multi-component one and involves sensory-discriminative, emotional-affective and cognitive characteristics. Clinically, neuropathic pain is characterised by spontaneous ongoing or shooting pain and evoked amplified pain responses after nocuous or innocuous stimuli. The study of pain, therefore, and search for the treatment strategies have a paramount role in modern neurobiology. Numerous anatomy-physiological studies have revealed a number of brain structures involved in the shaping of pain and endogenous analgesia. This book presents and examines current research discovered in a behavioural study of 'non-opioid' tolerance.