Gate Control Theory

Multiple sources of evidence have shown that pain perception (which is the conscious awareness of pain by the brain) is not entirely dependent on physical injury (physical injury is defined as damage to the body). This essay will consider information relating to phantom pain, battlefield injuries and referred pain as well as discussing the gate pain theory put forward by Melzack and wells.
The human body has two separate pain pathways, one of which is involved in pain perception while the other is not. The first pain pathway which is not involved in pain perception is known as the spinal reflex pathway and involves the noxious stimulus to be processed only by the spinal cord, resulting in a fast reflex action by the body. The second pathway is known as the spinothalamic pathway where the noxious stimulus is transmitted from the spinal cord to the thalamus and finally to the somatosensory cortex in the brain. As it involves the brain this the pathway involved with pain perception. …show more content…
This theory suggests that while pain does follow a specific pathway from the noxiuous stimulus to the brain via the spinal cord, there are gates in the spinal cord that can open and close which then control the flow of this information. When the gate is closed the information about pain can no longer reach the brain and therefore no pain is percieved. ( The open University 2017). Support for this theory comes from research that shows evidence of inhibitory interneurons in the spinal cord which can prevent transmission cells creating action potentials in response to nociceptors, meaning the pain signal does not carry on to reach the