Sapienza Università Editrice

Neuropathic pain is a common problem in clinical practice, which affects patients quality of life. The more recent approach to this peculiar type of pain is based on the “sensory profiles theory”. According to this theory, neuropathic pain manifests with different combinations of sensory abnormalities, which in turn arise through different pathophysiological mechanisms. Convincing evidence now suggests that the classification of neuropathic pain according to a mechanism-based approach rather than etiology could help in targeting the therapy for the individual patient and would be useful for testing new drugs. My work has therefore focused on disclosing the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain and how they translate into symptoms.