Mechanisms of neurophatic pain states development

Pain is a natural warning signal that protects organisms from actual or potential damage. Upon the stimulation (burns, cuts, inflammation) of nerve endings - nociceptors, nerve signals are conducted via the peripheral nerve fibres into the spinal cord and brain, where they are then processed as painful, and a reaction occurs. Neuropathic pain, on the other hand, is pain caused by an injury or disease of the somatosensory system itself. Neuropathic pain has a substantial impact on the patient's quality of life and is likely to become more prevalent as the population grows older and the rates of diabetes and chemotherapy treatments rise. However, the treatment of neuropathic pain is often insufficient and comes with a number of undesirable side effects, which constitute a significant clinical problem. Research leading to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain is necessary in order to enhance the treatment of these states and to make it more effective. There is a myriad of factors responsible for the development of neuropathic pain, namely mechanisms which maintain the balance between inhibitory and excitatory somatosensory signalling, changes in the amount or composition of receptors and channels at the surface of the neuron, and most..