Kitchell / Erickson Animal Pain

Perception and Alleviation
Erscheinungsjahr 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4614-7562-0
Verlag: Springer US
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 250 Seiten, Web PDF

Reihe: Biomedical and Life Sciences

Pain is a complex physiological phenomenon; it is hard to define satisfactorily in human beings, and it is extremely difficult to recognize and interpret in animals. Scientific knowledge concerning pain per ception in animals must be obtained by drawing analogies based on comparative anatomy, physiology, and pathology and by inference based on subjective responses to pain experienced by humans. Debate continues about whether animals of different species perceive pain similarly and whether any species perceives pain the same way hu mans do. The use of animals in research, in education, and in testing products to minimize adverse effects requires more knowledge about pain perception in animals. Increasing public concern about animal welfare has added urgency to this need. Our knowledge of the scientific basis of the mechanisms of pain has advanced substantially in the last two decades. Nociceptors, or pain receptors, are widespread in the skin and tissues of animals; chemical mediation of nociceptor excitation may provide a key to understanding the peripheral phenomena related to pain. The expression of pain in animals involves multiple ascending and descending branches as well as specialized pain-signaling mechanisms in the spinal cord. The importance of these different pathways varies with species and circum stances. Endogenous neural systems in the brain stem and forebrain, including both opioid and nonopioid mechanisms, may modulate the central transmission of nociceptive signals in animals.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kitchell, Ralph L

Erickson, Howard H

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Perception of Pain.- 1. Peripheral Mechanisms Involved in Pain.- 2. Neurophysiological Mechanisms of Nociception.- 3. Ascending Pathways Transmitting Nociceptive Information in Animals.- 4. Supraspinal Pain Mechanisms in the Cat.- 5. Descending Control of Spinal Nociceptive Transmission.- 6. Stimulation-Produced Analgesia.- 7. Human and Nonhuman Primate Reactions to Painful Electrocutaneous Stimuli and to Morphine.- 8. Concepts of General Anesthesia and Assessment of Adequacy of Anesthesia for Animal Surgery.- 9. Perspectives on Phylogenetic Evolution of Pain Expression.- Alleviation of Pain.- 10. Species Differences in Drug Disposition as Factors in Alleviation of Pain.- 11. Evaluation of Analgesic Drugs in Horses.- 12. Control of Pain in Dogs and Cats.