Discusses the status and trends of pain research in order to take a critical and constructive look at the achievements of basic science research that have made significant differences in clinical pain management as well as the gaps between basic science research and clinical pain management.

Basic science and clinical pain research is particularly challenging for several reasons. First, pain is a subjective experience in response to nociception that follows actual or potential tissue damage. Since the ability to respond to this warning signal is essential for our survival, the nociceptive system that produces and transmits nociceptive signals is remarkably redundant and involves diffuse regions of the central nervous system. Second, unlike other sensory modalities, pain is a multi-dimensional experience including at least cognitive, affective, and sensory-discriminative components. Third, pain experiences can be influenced by psychological, socioeconomic, cultural, and genetic predispositions, making it exceedingly complicated to study pain and pain modulation. In this first volume, the current status and new trends of pain research are selectively discussed in order to take a critical and constructive look at the achievements of basic science research that have made significant differences in clinical pain management as well as the gaps between basic science research and clinical pain management.