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The Oxford Handbook of the Neurobiology of Pain represents a state of the art overview of the rapidly developing field of pain research. As populations age, the number of people in pain is growing dramatically, with half the population living with pain. The opioid crisis has highlighted this problem. The present volume is thus very timely, providing expert overviews of many complex topics in pain research that are likely to be of interest not just to pain researchers, but also to pain clinicians who are seeking new therapeutic opportunities to develop analgesics. Many of the topics covered are of interest to neuroscientists, as pain is one of the most amenable sensations for mechanistic dissection. The present volume covers all aspects of the topic, from a history of pain through invertebrate model systems to the human genetics of pain and functional imaging. Chapters include the role of ion channels, the opioid system, the immune and sympathetic systems, as well as the mechanisms that transform acute to chronic pain. Migraine and the interplay between sleep and pain are also discussed. New technology in the form of transgenic animals, chemogenetics, optogenetics, and proteomic analyses are providing significant advances in our research and are covered as well. Demystifying pain through an understanding of its fundamental biology, as outlined in this volume, is the most direct route to ameliorating this vast human problem.

This book presents the latest exciting advances in understanding of the structure and function of myelin in the central and peripheral nervous systems under normal and pathological conditions. Readers will find state of the art information from the perspectives of both basic neuroscience and clinical neurology and neuropathology. Detailed attention is paid to the findings and implications of recent research on the myelin-forming glial cells such as oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells. The discussion of myelin pathology encompasses a wide range of diseases and conditions, including, for example, multiple sclerosis, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, brain tumors of glial cell origin, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, immune-mediated neuropathy, and diabetic neuropathy. The authors comprise researchers at the cutting edge of biotechnology and experts in the diseases discussed. The clearly written text is supported by numerous high-quality light and electron microscopy, CT, and MR images.

Primary sensory neurons respond to peripheral stimulation and project to the spinal cord. Specifically, the population of neurons which respond to damaging stimuli terminate in the superficial layers of the dorsal horn. Therefore, the dorsal horns constitute the first relay site for nociceptive fibre terminals which make synaptic contacts with second order neurons. It has recently become clear that the strength of this first pain synapse is plastic and modifiable by several modulators, including neuronal and non-neuronal regulators, and studies on the fundamental processes regulating the plasticity of the first pain synapse have resulted in the identification of new targets for the treatment of chronic pain. This book will be of interest to a wide readership in the pain field.

Gene therapy holds great potential for the treatment not only of genetic disorders, but also of many acquired diseases. This is as true for the inner ear as for any other organ. However, the technical challenges that must be overcome before gene therapy becomes more widely used are remarkable. In the inner ear the size, accessibility, delicacy and the involvement of many different cell types present unique conditions. This volume reviews current concepts and recent research findings of the application of gene therapy to the inner ear. Various forms of gene therapy, disorders that are potential targets for gene therapy, techniques for gene delivery, and mechanisms of gene targeting, and also obstacles that have yet to be overcome are discussed. This volume will be indispensable reading for otolaryngologists, hearing scientists, audiologists with a special interest in keeping up-to-date on gene therapy for inner ear disorders.