The Measurement of Pain in the Laboratory Rodent

The current translational crisis, in which apparently rapidly expanding genetic, molecular, and cellular knowledge has not resulted in novel clinical therapies, has forced preclinical pain researchers to question the algesiometric status quo. One hypothesized cause of poor translation is the limited external validity of the reflexive withdrawals to evoking stimuli that represent the ubiquitous dependent measures of pain at the present time. As a response, new techniques have been developed and are increasingly being incorporated into pain studies. This comprehensive review examines the subjects, assays, and measures used in preclinical pain research, as well as the need for and implementation of newly described measures of spontaneous, ongoing chronic pain.