Genomic methods for clinical and translational pain research.

Dan Wang, Hyungsuk Kim, Xiao-Min Wang, Raymond Dionne

Index: Methods Mol. Biol. 851 , 9-46, (2012)

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Abstract

Pain is a complex sensory experience for which the molecular mechanisms are yet to be fully elucidated. Individual differences in pain sensitivity are mediated by a complex network of multiple gene polymorphisms, physiological and psychological processes, and environmental factors. Here, we present the methods for applying unbiased molecular-genetic approaches, genome-wide association study (GWAS), and global gene expression analysis, to help better understand the molecular basis of pain sensitivity in humans and variable responses to analgesic drugs.