When you stub your toe you will immediately feel a sharp pain. This pain is created from a network of cells that communications external and internal information, called the nervous system. The nervous system receives this pain and then sends a message to the brain. Stimulating pain receptors is the body's automatic response to injury, which then releases chemicals. The pathway to feeling pain starts at the source. In this situation, the pain will start in the toe. The toe will send pain messages through the peripheral nervous system to the spinal cord. These pain messages are then carried all the way up to the brain by the spine. In the brain, the message is sent to the cerebral cortex where it is perceived and processed. Once the brain has
