Immune Mechanisms of Pain and Analgesia

Download or read book Immune Mechanisms of Pain and Analgesia written by Halina Machelska and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2003-01-31 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Immune Mechanisms of Pain and Analgesia is the first volume to discuss a new concept of immune-neural interplays leading to pain or analgesia. It argues the classical view that pain and its control are restricted to the nervous system, offering a comprehensive overview of the emerging area of immune mechanisms in pain and its control. It challenges the traditional view that pain sensation or suppression is attributed exclusively to the nervous system and presents a critical analysis of this new concept. The book is written by an internationally recognized group of researchers and discusses complex and controversial issues such as cytokines and their pain-exacerbating but also analgesic effects, the production of opioids by immune cells, peripheral analgesic and anti-inflammatory actions of opioids, immunomodulatory effects of opiates, and immunosuppressive effects of pain.