Abstract
Human neuropathic pain syndromes are characterized by several kinds of abnormal pain sensations. The mechanisms responsible for neuropathic pain are poorly understood. Therefore, our ability to treat them is often unsatisfactory. Recently, useful animal models of several type of neuropathic pain have been developed, and many experimental results using these models have also been obtained. Characteristics of animal models and several findings that have already made important contributions to our understanding of neuropathic pain and helped in the search for effective therapy are reviewed here.
