Upon Completion of this conference, participants should be able to:
Identify the fundamental neurobiological structural components and pathways of pain signaling from a cellular perspective.
Outline the pain signal’s propagation by neural transmission from where it originates in the periphery through the synaptic networks of the central nervous system.
Describe the recent evidence that suggests gender- or sex-based differences in pain signaling or perception.
Explain the biological origin of sensitization of an organism to noxious stimuli.
Identify the major anatomical structures associated with pain transmission from the peripheral through the central nervous system.
Summarize the current pharmacological approaches used for pain management.
Contrast pre-clinical and clinical models of pain transmission and analgesia.
Discuss the opportunities offered by broad spectrum gene and protein array approaches for the study of pain and analgesia.
Differentiate between proteins and systems that either facilitate or inhibit pain transmission in either the peripheral or central nervous system.
Apply basic quantitative approaches to interpret positive interactions between analgesic drugs.
Contrast pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches used for pain management.
Contrast pain assessment in normal and non-verbal patient populations.
Categorize the diversity of common pain conditions in terms of presentation, etiology, and proposed neurobiological mechanisms.
Explain the recent evidence implicating a substantive role for the neuroimmune system in the development of chronic pain.
Discuss several non-pharmacological techniques that are increasingly applied for pain management.
Describe several direct pain management interventions that focus on interruption of pain transmission at the level of the spinal cord.
