The phenomena of pain, addiction, and anesthesia overlap through shared neurobiological mechanisms involving neurotransmitters and neural circuits. Central to these experiences is the principle of neuroplasticity, wherein changes in the brain affect perception, responses, and behaviors. However, research in these fields faces considerable challenges, including: potential long-term consequences of chronic opioid use, repeated anesthesia exposure, and substance addiction on the brain and overall health; complex neurobiological mechanisms governing pain perception, anesthetic reactions, and addictive behaviors; limitations of using animal models; and inter-individual variability in responses to pain, anesthesia, and addiction treatments, necessitating personalized approaches.
To help address these challenges, a special issue of Zoological Research is being compiled, with a focus on pain, addiction, and anesthesia. Manuscripts encompassing elements related to pain, anesthesia, or addiction are welcome, particularly those addressing the following topics:
l Potential long-term consequences of chronic opioid use, repeated anesthesia exposure, and substance addiction on brain function and cognition.
l Neurobiological mechanisms underlying pain perception, addictive behaviors, and anesthesia responses.
l Induction of neuroplastic changes in the brain due to chronic pain, addiction, and anesthesia exposure, and its implications for treatment strategies and long-term impacts on neural function.
l Neural mechanisms underlying the interactions between pain and emotion.
l Non-pharmacological approaches to pain relief, such as acupuncture and neuromodulation, and their underlying neural mechanisms.
l Mechanisms underlying placebo and nocebo responses in pain perception and their potential clinical applications.
l Neural mechanisms related to drug cravings and development of interventions to manage such cravings.
l Reward circuity in the brain and identification of novel intervention targets to reduce addictive behaviors.
l Strategies for early identification and intervention to prevent the escalation of substance use into addiction.
l Technological advancements for measuring anesthesia depth and improving patient safety during surgery.
l Long-term effects of anesthesia exposure on cognitive development, especially in pediatric populations.
l Genetic factors influencing individual responses to anesthesia drugs and potential modifications in anesthesia protocols.
Contributions are accepted in any format recognized by Zoological Research, including research articles, reviews, mini-reviews, perspectives, and commentaries. For further details, please refer to the author's guidelines on our website (https://www.zoores.ac.cn/news/guideline.htm).
All manuscripts should be submitted online at: https://mc03.manuscriptcentral.com/zr before December 31, 2023. In their Cover Letter, authors should specify that the manuscript is for the “Pain, Addiction, and Anesthesia Special Issue”.
Special issue editors:
Prof. Ping Zheng, Fudan University (pzheng@shmu.edu.cn)
Prof. Ji Hu, ShanghaiTech University (huji@shanghaitech.edu.cn)
