Introduction for special issue on neuroimmune interactions in chronic pain

The growing awareness of the critical role played by the innate and adaptive immune systems in the mechanisms underlying chronic pain has prompted further research examining the modalities by which immune cells communicate with neurones, the aim being to identify new players involved in inflammatory and neuropathic pain signalling. This collection of research includes 9 articles on neuroimmune interactions as the underlying mechanisms for neuropathic pain including peripheral neuropathies, pain in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, and bone cancer pain. The immune cells under scrutiny include macrophages, microglia, osteoclasts, and B cells, and their interactions with neurones in locations such as the dorsal root ganglia, blood-spinal cord barrier, spinal cord, and brain. Our hope is that this body of work may serve to furnish existing interest while also constituting a springboard of sorts for indispensable further investigation on neuroimmune interactions in chronic pain.