This is not a traditional proceedings book, but rather a collection of reviews written by experts who were invited to give plenary and distinguished lectures at the 12th World Congress on Pain. A wide variety of topics is covered, from the neurochemistry and neurobiology of pain, to the role of stress in chronic pain. Several chapters reach beyond the traditional areas of pain research, into areas such as pain and suffering following torture, the external validity of clinical trials, and pain management in the developing world. Some other specific subjects examined include the role played by spinal systems in the encoding of nociceptive information, moving pain genetics into the genome-wide association era, lessons learned from fibromyalgia and related conditions on the relationship between stress and pain, and quality improvement and evolving research in pediatric pain management and palliative care. The audience for the book includes researchers, clinicians, and members of the general medical community. Castro-Lopes is affiliated with the Institute of Histology and Embryology and the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Porto, Portugal. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Read Less