Our knowledge of the brain and its structures -- such as the thalamus, hypothalamus and cortex -- has made great strides over the past 15 years. As in other fields, this progress has been due to studies based on a multidisciplinary approach combining modern and traditional investigative methods. The new knowledge has highlighted the part played by some fundamental structures in pain processing. This book reviews the data that has been acquired and the new perspectives it has opened up for studying how the brain processes pain, in both humans and animals. For neurologists, neurobiologists and neurosurgeons.