Pain (Human Sensation And Perception)

Front 1

What is another word for pain receptors, and what type of receptors are they?

Back 1

nociceptors, free nerve endings

Front 2

What are two aspects of the pain experience?

Back 2

multimodal and highly emotional

Front 3

Which pathway does pain information take? Which sense takes longer to register in brain, pain or touch?

Back 3

spinothalamic pathway, pain takes longer because contralateral

Front 4

Which part of the brain associated with emotional processing helps process pain?

Back 4

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)

Front 5

What are some other brain regions involved in pain perception?

Back 5

Thalamus, hypothalamus, and limbic system

Front 6

What are three examples of a cognitive or top-down influence on pain?

Back 6

1. surgery patients told what is going to happen in the procedure usually feel less pain.
2. Placebos are often effective.
3. But, anticipation of pain can make it worse.

Front 7

What is a factor that starts with an A that influences how much pain you perceive?

Back 7

attention, distracting or shifting attention can help relieve pain

Front 8

What are two examples of individual differences in pain perception?

Back 8

Nepalese vs. Westerners: had same threshold, but different responses for faint pain and extreme pain.
Track athletes: report less pain than non-athletes.

Front 9

What is the locus of control?

Back 9

The locus of control refers to what a person believes about how much he or she can control the events that affect him or her.

Front 10

How does the locus of control relate to pain perception?

Back 10

If rats/people perceive that they cannot avoid the pain, there is an analgesic effect, i.e., they become more tolerant of the pain.

Front 11

What is the Gate Control Theory of pain perception?

Back 11

1. When pain signals are present in the S-fibers and no pain signals are present in the L-fibers, we experience pain.
2. When touch signals are present in the L-fibers, they close a gate and block pain signals coming in from S-fibers in the same area.
3. Cognitive factors (stress, etc) can also send signals to close the gate.

Front 12

What are the two major types of cells associated with the biological control circuit for Gate Control and what do they do?

Back 12

substantia gelatinosa and t-cells (transmission cells), located in dorsal horn of spinal cord.
SG acts as switches, and T-cells transmit pain up the spinal cord.

Front 13

Describe the biological top-down pain reduction circuit.

Back 13

Neurons in the periaqueductal gray matter of the midbrain activate neurons in the raphe nuclei of brainstem. Serotonin produced in raphe nuclei descends to the doral horn of spinal cord, excites substantia gelatinosa. More endorphins released, eventually inhibiting T-cells.