Centrally targeted pharmacotherapy for chronic abdominal pain

Background Chronic abdominal pain in the context of the functional gastrointestinal disorders departs from a more traditional approach to treating gastrointestinal symptoms. Chronic abdominal pain involves a dysregulation of brain‐gut modulation of afferent signaling, so treatments directed toward the gut are not usually sufficient to achieve a clinical response. Rather the methods of treatment depend on re‐establishing central pain regulation....