About NeuPSIG

The mission of NeuPSIG is to advance the understanding of neuropathic pain mechanisms, assessment, prevention, and treatment, and to disseminate this knowledge to our global community of members and partners.

Our vision is to

• strive to be the main global community for neuropathic pain researchers, clinicians, and people with neuropathic pain.
• educate our members, other clinicians, scientists and the public on neuropathic pain. We will do so via The International Congress on Neuropathic Pain, via workshops, symposia and satellite meetings at the IASP World Congress on Pain, via additional international and local meetings, and via the IASP website and other online activities.
• foster collaboration between basic and clinical researchers on neuropathic pain, with a particular focus on early career professionals, to support the education and professional development of future leaders in this field.
• synthesize and disseminate the latest state-of-the art information about assessment, treatment and prevention of neuropathic pain.
• work with the wider pain research community to address common challenges and improve best practices.

In 2022-2023, NeuPSIG has been instrumental in revising the guidelines for neuropathic pain assessment as part of a joint effort with the European Academy of Neurology and the European Pain Federation. This work has now been published:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37253688/

We are currently working on another initiative to put together guidelines to investigate chemotherapy-induced pain (CIPN) in pre-clinical animal models and in the clinic. You can read more about it here.

NeuPSIG and its members have led or taken part in many similar important initiatives in the past decade. Here are just a few select publications that have arisen from this:

• The IASP classification of chronic pain for ICD-11: chronic neuropathic pain. Scholz J, Finnerup NB, Attal N, Aziz Q, Baron R, Bennett MI, Benoliel R, Cohen M, Cruccu G, Davis KD, Evers S, First M, Giamberardino MA, Hansson P, Kaasa S, Korwisi B, Kosek E, Lavandʼhomme P, Nicholas M, Nurmikko T, Perrot S, Raja SN, Rice ASC, Rowbotham MC, Schug S, Simpson DM, Smith BH, Svensson P, Vlaeyen JWS, Wang SJ, Barke A, Rief W, Treede RD. Pain. 2019 Jan;160(1):53-59
• Neuropathic pain clinical trials: factors associated with decreases in estimated drug efficacy. Finnerup NB, Haroutounian S, Baron R, Dworkin RH, Gilron I, Haanpaa M, Jensen TS, Kamerman P, McNicol E, Moore A, Raja SN, Andersen NT, Sena ES, Smith BH, Rice ASC, Attal N. Pain. 2018 Nov;159(11):2339-2346
• Neuropathic pain: An updated grading system for research and clinical practice. Finnerup NB, Haroutounian S, Kamerman P, Baron R, Bennett DLH, Bouhassira D, Cruccu G, Freeman R, Hansson P, Nurmikko T, Raja SN, Rice ASC, Serra J, Smith BH, Treede R-D, Jensen TS. Pain. 2016 Aug;157(8):1599-1606
• Neuropathic pain phenotyping by international consensus (NeuroPPIC) for genetic studies: a NeuPSIG systematic review, Delphi survey, and expert panel recommendations. van Hecke O, Kamerman PR, Attal N, Baron R, Bjornsdottir G, Bennett DL, Bennett MI, Bouhassira D, Diatchenko L, Freeman R, Freynhagen R, Haanpaa M, Jensen TS, Raja SN, Rice AS, Seltzer Z, Thorgeirsson TE, Yarnitsky D, Smith BH. Pain. 2015 Nov;156(11):2337-2353
• World Health Organization essential medicines lists: where are the drugs to treat neuropathic pain? Kamerman PR, Wadley AL, Davis KD, Hietaharju A, Jain P, Kopf A, Meyer AC, Raja SN, Rice AS, Smith BH, Treede RD, Wiffen P. Pain. 2015 May;156(5):793-797
• Pharmacotherapy for neuropathic pain in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Finnerup NB, Attal N, Haroutounian S, McNicol E, Baron R, Dworkin RH, Gilron I, Haanpaa M, Hansson P, Jensen TS, Kamerman PR, Lund K, Moore A, Raja SN, Rice ASC, Rowbotham M, Sena E, Siddall P, Smith BH, Wallace M. Lancet Neurol. 2015 Feb;14(2):162-73
• Value of quantitative sensory testing in neurological and pain disorders: NeuPSIG consensus. Backonja MM, Attal N, Baron R, Bouhassira D, Drangholt M, Dyck PJ, Edwards RR, Freeman R, Gracely R, Haanpaa MH, Hansson P, Hatem SM, Krumova EK, Jensen TS, Maier C, Mick G, Rice AS, Rolke R, Treede RD, Serra J, Toelle T, Tugnoli V, Walk D, Walalce MS, Ware M, Yarnitsky D, Ziegler D. Pain. 2013 Sep;154(9):1807-1819

Executive Committee

• Patrick Dougherty (University of Texas, USA) – Chair
• Theodore Price (University of Texas at Dallas, USA) – Vice Chair
• Simon Haroutounian (Washington University, USA) – Past Chair
• David Bennett (University of Oxford, England) – Treasurer
• Margarita Calvo (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile) – Secretary

Management Committee Members

• Lesley Colvin (University of Dundee, UK)
• Sulayman Dib-Hajj (Yale University, USA)
• Angelika Lampert (RWTH Aachen University, Germany)
• Franziska Denk (King’s College London, UK)
• Jan Vollert (University of Exeter, UK)
• Julia Forstenpointner (Christian-Albrecht University Kiel, Germany)
• Pall Karlsson (University Hospital Aarhus, Denmark)
• Qiufu Ma (Westlake University, Hangzhou, China)

Honorary Membership

• Blair H Smith, University of Dundee, UK
• Raja N Srinivasa, Johns Hopkins University, USA
• Rolf-Detlef Treede, Germany
• Jonathan Dostrovsky, Canada
• Troels Jensen, Denmark
• Chris Wells, UK
• Turo Nurmikko, UK
• J. Edmond Charlton, UK