LAUSR

Chronic pain is a disease of nociceptive circuits at any level of the nervous system, characterized by abnormal sensitivity to thermal and mechanical stimuli. Hypersensitivity can be expressed as hyperalgesia, an excessive reaction to normally painful input; allodynia, a painful response to normally innocuous stimuli; or spontaneous pain with no identifiable cause. Furthermore, non-neuronal cells may also contribute to the physiopathology of chronic physical and psychosocial changes such as disability, anxiety, depression, and disturbed sleep. These secondary symptoms, in addition to the persistent pain itself, often have a devastating impact on the patient’s quality of life. Chronic pain is estimated to be one of the most prevalent health problems in the world, with almost all of us dealing with it at some point in our lives. Although scientists have made great advances in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms through which persistent pain develops, this knowledge has not been translated into safe and effective therapies. Indeed, current gold-standard analgesics for chronic pain management have limited efficacy in the majority of patients while producing many side effects, and in the case of opioids, they have a high liability for abuse with a high risk of death. Therefore, the management of chronic pain is a major unmet clinical need and the lack of effective treatment places an immense burden on patients, families, health-care systems and society in general. As a result, several drug discovery groups are committed to finding new pharmacological and non-pharmacological avenues to manage chronic pain. The Research Topic Advances in the Biology and Medicine of Pain includes 34 articles that address different aspects of chronic pain’s physiopathology, treatment, identification of predictors of pain and a clinical trial. Most of the reports are pre-clinical studies, but they also include some clinical research. In addition, readers will also find several reviews addressing the participation of the immune response, stress, and different metabolic pathways in favoring the developing of chronic pain. All these articles create a cohesive understanding of recent advances and future directions in the pathophysiology and treatment of persistent pain.