Basic research for the establishment of the pharmacological assessment for drug development based on the study on synaptic transmission in chronic pain states

在神经性疼痛和炎症性疼痛中，脊髓背角突触传递的有效性增强是痛觉过敏和触觉异常性痛的主要中枢因素。此外，慢性疼痛患者经常表现出各种神经心理障碍的症状，包括慢性疲劳、抑郁、焦虑、睡眠障碍和认知障碍，这表明突触传递在棘上区域也发生了改变。因此，通过行为学研究和电生理研究来探讨神经性疼痛的病理生理和一些潜在镇痛药物的作用，我们认为这对开发治疗慢性疼痛的新型镇痛药物至关重要。

In neuropathic pain and inflammatory pain, enhanced efficacy of synaptic transmission in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord underlies central major aspects of hyperalgesia and tactile allodynia. Moreover, patients with chronic pain frequently have been demonstrated to express various symptoms of neuropsychologic impairment, including chronic fatigue, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance and cognitive deficits, suggesting that synaptic transmission is also altered at the supraspinal areas. Thus, behavioral studies as well as electrophysiological studies were made to explore pathophysiology of neuropathic pain and the effects of some potentially analgesic drugs, which we consider is important to obtain crucial information for developing novel analgesic drugs to treat chronic pain.