Neuropathic pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system is a common chronic pain condition with major impact on quality of life. Examples include trigeminal neuralgia, painful polyneuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia and central poststroke pain. Most patients complain of an ongoing or intermittent spontaneous pain of e.g. burning, pricking, squeezing quality, which may be accompanied by evoked pain, particular to light touch and cold. Ectopic activity in e.g. nerve-end neuroma, compressed nerves or nerve roots, dorsal root ganglia, and the thalamus may in different conditions underlie the spontaneous pain. Evoked pain may spread to neighboring areas and the underlying pathophysiology involves peripheral and central sensitization. Maladaptive structural changes and a number of cell-cell interactions and molecular signaling underlies the sensitization of nociceptive pathways. These include alteration in ion channels, activation of immune cells, glial-derived mediators, and epigenetic regulation. The major classes of therapeutics include drugs acting on α₂ δsubunits of calcium channels, sodium channels, and descending modulatory inhibitory pathways.

中文翻译：

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神经性疼痛：从机制到治疗。

由身体感觉神经系统的病变或疾病引起的神经性疼痛是常见的慢性疼痛状况，对生活质量产生重大影响。例子包括三叉神经痛，疼痛性多发性神经病，疱疹后神经痛和中风后疼痛。大多数患者抱怨持续性或间歇性自发性疼痛，例如灼痛，刺痛，压迫感，伴有诱发的疼痛，尤其是轻触和感冒。自发性疼痛可能是不同情况下神经末梢神经瘤，神经或神经根受压，背根神经节和丘脑等异位活动的原因。诱发的疼痛可能会扩散到周围区域，并且潜在的病理生理学涉及外周和中枢敏化。适应性结构改变以及许多细胞间相互作用和分子信号传导是伤害性途径敏化的基础。这些包括离子通道的改变，免疫细胞的激活，胶质细胞衍生的介体和表观遗传调控。治疗剂的主要类别包括作用于α的药物₂ δ钙通道，钠通道和降序调节抑制途径的亚基。