Neurobiology of Pain

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course will provide students with a background on the biological basis of pain. The course will not only explore tradition pain pathways and the contribution of inflammatory mechanisms in the perception of pain, but also consider how factors such as emotions, memories, and prior painful experience contribute to the neural processing of pain. Students will examine how different neurobiological pathways and functional systems contribute to the complexities of pain sensation and come to understand that specific injuries do not indicate specific levels of pain. In addition, clinical pain models and pharmacological/non-pharmacological treatments of pain will be discussed.