This book constitutes the proceedings of a NATO Advanced Research Workshop held in El Escorial (Spain) from 22 -27 May 1988 with the title Processing of sensory information in the superficial dorsal hom of the spinal cord. Included in the book are reports of most of the main lectures given at the meeting, section introductions written by each session Chairman, section reports compiled by session rapporteurs and some short papers invited from authors of communications given in poster form. The latter were selected on the basis of being immediately relevant to the topic of the workshop and of originating from a laboratory not represented by the main speakers. All in all we believe that the reader can get a fair idea of the structure and general character of this Workshop. The overall aim of the meeting was to review the current state of knowledge on the role of the superficial dorsal horn of the mammalian spinal cord as a nucleus of relay and modulation of the somatic and visceral sensory input to the central nervous system. In this context, the contribution of this spinal cord region to the appreciation of pain was a central topic of discussion. Over the last decade there has been a considerable increase in anatomical, physiological and neurochemical studies of the superficial dorsal horn.

The third edition of this monograph continues to have the goal of providing an overview of current thought about the spinal cord mechanisms that are responsible for sensory processing. We hope that the book is of value to both basic and clinical neuroscientists. Several changes have been made in the presentation, as well as additions because of the research advances that have been made during the past decade. Chapters 3 and 4 in the previous edition have been subdivided, and now the morphology of primary afferent neu rons of the dorsal root ganglia is described in Chapter 3 and the chemical neuroanatomy 4. The description of the dorsal hom in the previous Chapter 4 of these neurons in Chapter is now included in Chapter 5, and the chemical neuroanatomy of the dorsal hom in Chapter 6. Furthermore, discussions of the descending control systems have now been of Chapter 12. consolidated at the end The authors would like to express their appreciation for the help provided by several individuals. R.E.C. wishes to acknowledge the many things he learned about primary afferent neurons from conversations with Dr S. N. Lawson. He also thanks Lyn Shilling for her assistance with the typing. WDW thanks Dr Nada Lawand for her critical reading of parts of the manuscript, Rosaline Leigh for help with the manuscript, and Griselda Gonzales for preparing the illustrations.

This handbook is currently in development, with individual articles publishing online in advance of print publication. At this time, we cannot add information about unpublished articles in this handbook, however the table of contents will continue to grow as additional articles pass through the review process and are added to the site. Please note that the online publication date for this handbook is the date that the first article in the title was published online.

The third edition of this monograph continues to have the goal of providing an overview of current thought about the spinal cord mechanisms that are responsible for sensory processing. We hope that the book is of value to both basic and clinical neuroscientists. Several changes have been made in the presentation, as well as additions because of the research advances that have been made during the past decade. Chapters 3 and 4 in the previous edition have been subdivided, and now the morphology of primary afferent neu rons of the dorsal root ganglia is described in Chapter 3 and the chemical neuroanatomy of these neurons in Chapter 4. The description of the dorsal horn in the previous Chapter 4 is now included in Chapter 5, and the chemical neuroanatomy of the dorsal horn in Chapter 6. Furthermore, discussions of the descending control systems have now been consolidated at the end of Chapter 12. The authors would like to express their appreciation for the help provided by several individuals. R.E.C. wishes to acknowledge the many things he learned about primary afferent neurons from conversations with Dr S. N. Lawson. He also thanks Lyn Shilling for her assistance with the typing. WDW thanks Dr Nada Lawand for her critical reading of parts of the manuscript, Rosaline Leigh for help with the manuscript, and Griselda Gonzales for preparing the illustrations.

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Advances in itch research have elucidated differences between itch and pain but have also blurred the distinction between them. There is a long debate about how somatic sensations including touch, pain, itch, and temperature sensitivity are encoded by the nervous system. Research suggests that each sensory modality is processed along a fixed, direct-line communication system from the skin to the brain. Itch: Mechanisms and Treatment presents a timely update on all aspects of itch research and the clinical treatment of itch that accompanies many dermatological conditions including psoriasis, neuropathic itch, cutaneous t-cells lymphomas, and systemic diseases such as kidney and liver disease and cancer. Composed of contributions from distinguished researchers around the world, the book explores topics such as: Neuropathic itch Peripheral neuronal mechanism of itch The role of PAR-2 in neuroimmune communication and itch Mrgprs as itch receptors The role of interleukin-31 and oncostatin M in itch and neuroimmune communication Spinal coding of itch and pain Spinal microcircuits and the regulation of itch Examining new findings on cellular and molecular mechanisms, the book is a compendium of the most current research on itch, its prevalence in society, and the problems associated with treatment.

This textbook provides an overview of pain management useful to specialists as well as non-specialists, surgeons, and nursing staff.

This monograph thoroughly examines the latest theory and research concerning spinal cord mechanisms of sensory processing. The book begins with a historical review of the organization of the peripheral nervous system is outlined in terms of sensory receptors and primary afferent axons. The authors examine the dorsal horn and the structure and function of dorsal horn internurons, and neurophysiological evidence concerning the location of sensory pathways in the spinal cord white matter. After te dorsal column, dorshlateral fasciculus, and the ventral quadrant are covered, the final chapter summarizes knowledge on receptors and spinal cord pathways of various sensations, including touch-pressure, flutter-vibration, pain, temperature, position sense, visceral sensation, and descending control systems.