The present article reports the data concerning the prevalence of chronic pain syndromes in clinical practice. The importance of addressing the problem of finding effective treatment modalities for the patients presenting with these conditions is emphasized. The mechanisms of neuropathic pain are analyzed. The possible pathogenetically sound substantiations for the pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of chronic pain are discussed. The article highlights the results of recent meta-analyses of the comparative effectiveness of transcranial methods. The mail lines of further investigations in the field of monotherapy and combined treatment of neuropathic pain are outlined.