Animal Models of Central Neuropathic Pain

Central neuropathic pain is triggered by trauma, neurological disease, or infection of the central nervous system. A number of powerful models of central pain produce consistent phenotypes of behavioral hypersensitivity and provide an understanding into the mechanisms underlying persistent changes in nociceptive processing. Here we discuss behavioral phenomenology, how changes in neuronal firing properties lead to system-wide modulation of information processing, and highlight relevant animal models associated with spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, and infection – key contributors to central pain.