ABSTRACT
Animal models of pain have been invaluable tools in many of the advances in our understanding of pain mechanisms. Pain can broadly be divided into two types: nociceptive and neuropathic. Nociceptive pain refers to pain arising from direct stimulation of nociceptors, such as occurs with trauma or inflammation. Neuropathic pain refers to pain arising from damage to the nervous system. Nociceptive pain can be further divided into pain caused by a well-defined, short-lasting, noxious stimulus, and pain associated with the secondary changes associated with inflammation. Therefore, there are three main types of pain that appear to have distinct, although overlapping mechanisms. Animal models have been developed to explore the mechanisms and possible treatments for each of these different types of pain. This chapter briefly reviews the most commonly used animal models of acute nociceptive, inflammatory, and neuropathic pain.
