Introduction -- Functional neuroanatomy of the pain system -- Primary afferent neuron -- Distribution of nociceptor peripheral endings -- Termination in the spinal cord and spinal trigeminal nucleus -- Ascending pathways of the spinal cord and of the STN -- Dorsal column nuclei and nociception -- Cerebellum and nociception -- Cortices involved in pain perception and thalamocortical projection -- Descending modulatory pathways -- Neuropathic pain -- Central changes consequent to peripheral nerve injury -- The role of glial cells -- Neuropathology of herpes zoster (HZ) and of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) -- Diabetic neuropathic pain -- Cancer neuropathic pain -- Central neuropathic pain -- Concluding remarks -- Summary -- Subject index