Biomarkers for pain are needed in a number of domains. The first is to objectively define pain in humans and animals. The second is to define models that clearly form the basis of altered function in the clinical condition of chronic pain such as neuropathic pain. While the understanding of altered function including neurochemical and structural changes in neurons is beginning to be well understood, in general, the specific understanding of these changes in inflammatory and neuropathic pain are less well understood. Such changes are essential to the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of plasticity of genes that impact on cellular, molecular and physiological changes in pain processing. One approach to surrogate markers is to define specific neural circuits that are seen in the human condition and apply them to experimental human and animal systems. In both, the idea is that activation within a specific readout (surrogate) or neural pathway parallels the clinical condition. Defining objective markers for the evaluation of pain for use in the clinic is part of the overall focus of the program.

current programs

• objective indicies for individual patients
• pain in surgery

relevant p.a.i.n. group publications