Book excerpt: This volume represents edited material that was presented at a conference on brainstem modulation of spinal nociception held in Beaune, France during July, 1987. Pain Modulation, Volume 77 in the series Progress in Brain Research reviews, analyses and suggests new research strategies on several relevant topics including: the endogenous opioid peptides; sites of action of opiates; the role of biogenic animes and non-opioid peptides in analgesia; dorsal horn circuitry; behavioural factors in the activation of pain modulating networks and clinical studies of nociceptive modulation.