Psy3270 - Lecture 9

Front 1

What are the neurobiological mechanisms of pain experiences?

Back 1

Peripheral factors
Spinal mechanisms
Central brain pathways/networks
Neuroplasticity and pain

Front 2

What are the Psychological factors that modulate pain experience:

Back 2

Salience and threat
PTSD and pain re-experiencing
Fear and stress
Vicarious pain

Front 3

What is physical pain?

Back 3

It is a conscious feeling. “An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage”

Front 4

What is the purpose of pain?

Back 4

Pain is an early warning system that something dangerous has happened.
It triggers unintentional (stimulus driven) and intentional pain behaviours.

Front 5

What are examples of unintentional pain?

Back 5

facial expressions, irritable mood, guarded behaviour, slowed movement and protective posture.

Front 6

What are examples of intentional pain expression?

Back 6

Seeking medical/other treatment, protecting injured
body parts, seeking isolation

Front 7

Which neurotransmitters are involved in pain?

Back 7

glutamate, acetylcholine, GABA

Front 8

NFR (Nociceptive Flexion Reflexis) is what?

Back 8

A withdrawal motor signal.

Front 9

What is Allodynia?

Back 9

Pain due to a stimulus that does not normally
provoke pain. Common in amputatees.

Front 10

What is Hyperalgesia?

Back 10

Increased pain from a stimulus that normally
provokes pain. Eating a chilli or sunburn.
Primary (intensity) and secondary (magnitude) hyperalgesia.

Front 11

What is wind-up pain?

Back 11

Repeated stimulation (e.g., pin-prick, punctate,
electrical) generates increased pain intensity
by disinhibiting nociceptive input in the dorsal
horn.

Front 12

What is Capsaicin induced hyperalgesia?

Back 12

Capsaicin causes intense pain but no actual tissue
injury. Generates primary and secondary hyperalgesia.

Front 13

What are the 2 key ascending pathways that process pain in the brain?

Back 13

The sensory discriminative and the motivational affective.

Front 14

How is neuroplasticity defined?

Back 14

by “the ability of the nervous system to change structure and function”

Front 15

Is neuroplasticity always a good thing?

Back 15

Not in pain but in complex learning in brain functions such as juggling.

Front 16

What are examples of Chronic pain and structural neuroplasticity.

Back 16

Atrophy to thalamus:
post-amputation pain, back pain, fibromyalgia,
migraine, osteoarthritis

Front 17

What are examples of Chronic pain and functional
neuroplasticity?

Back 17

Reorganisation of the somatosensory cortex in
phantom pain, spinal cord injury pain, and back pain.

Reorganisation of the motor cortex in phantom pain, complex regional pain syndrome, spinal cord injury pain.

Front 18

How is the somatosensory cortex organised?

Back 18

topographically organised

Front 19

What is Acute deafferention (e.g., anaesthetic)?

Back 19

unmasking existing connections
may mislocalise body part in space or perceive size
distortion (e.g., dental anaesthetic = “swollen” lip)

Front 20

What is chronic deafferentation? (e.g., amputation or SCI)

Back 20

chronic loss of sensory, motor and proprioceptive
input from the amputated limb

Front 21

How is the motor cortex organised?

Back 21

Functionally organised.

Front 22

What happens to the motor cortex after amputation?

Back 22

Loss of feedback loop for motor processing = amplify signal to command missing limb to move

Front 23

What is phantom pain?

Back 23

remapping of the motor representations of the missing limb.

Front 24

What happens when there is a Disturbance to representation of the body: impairments in processing the body in space?

Back 24

Distorted form of the affected body part
Impaired imagery of affected body parts
Disturbed proprioception

Front 25

What is complex regional pain syndrome?

Back 25

is a pain condition generated from disturbances in spinal and central processing, and the sympathetic nervous system.

Front 26

what are the 2 ways to modulate endogenous pain?

Back 26

Disinhibition (exacerbation of pain)
Inhibition (decreased pain)

Front 27

When does PTSD form?

Back 27

PTSD may form after exposure to a stressor (e.g., death, threatened death, actual or threatened serious injury, or actual or threatened sexual violence).

Front 28

Experiences of PTSD include?

Back 28

Intrusions (e.g., intrusive thoughts, images, flashbacks, sensory re-experiencing)
Avoidance (e.g., avoid places/thoughts/discussion about factors related to the trauma)
Hyperarousal (e.g., difficulty sleeping, feeling jumpy)
Symptoms > 1 month and having a negative impact on life.

Front 29

What is Vicarious pain research?

Back 29

experiments investigating how seeing others experience pain modulates the observer’s experience of pain.

Front 30

What is involved in empathy for pain?

Back 30

Interpersonal experience. Affective and
sensory resonance for others in pain.

Front 31

What are the 3 key domains in empathy for pain?

Back 31

Affective distress

Empathic concern

Pain Contagion

Front 32

What is heightened empathy for pain associated with?

Back 32

Superior trait empathy
Empathising with a loved one over a stranger
Empathising with “in-group” compared with
“out-group” members

Front 33

What is impaired empathy for pain associated with?

Back 33

Impaired empathy for pain has been shown in those with psychopathic traits (e.g., juvenile delinquents) and Alexythmia a frequent features of autism
spectrum disorders.