Papers of the Week

Ion channels, due to their prominent localization in primary sensory neurons and other key structures in pain processing, are regarded as a major class of drug targets for modulating pain sensation and controlling chronic pain. Here, we review the implications of some ion channels in pain transduction and the preclinical and clinical investigations on drugs that target such channels in pain studies. The discussion will be limited to voltage-gated calcium channels, transient receptor potential channels, acid-sensing ion channels, and PIEZO channels. Descriptions of other important channels in pain signaling, including voltage-sensitive sodium channels, are reported elsewhere in this volume.