18 Questions
What term is used to describe the phenomenon of increased sensitivity to pain over time?
Hyperalgesia
Which type of neurons are the major glial cells in the central nervous system responsible for immune surveillance?
Microglia
What type of plasticity involves changes in neural networks following an injury?
Structural
In the context of pain, what term describes the spread of pain sensitivity to areas surrounding the initial site of injury?
Secondary Hyperalgesia
What process describes the phenomenon of increased perception of pain due to repeated or sustained noxious stimuli?
Temporal Summation
Which technique involving local desensitization or analgesia fails to block 'mirror pain'?
Sensitization after Injury
What type of neurons are wide dynamic range (WDR) and nociceptive-specific (NS)?
Sensory neurons
What is the main input to low-threshold mechanosensitive (LTM) neurons?
Low-threshold mechanical stimuli
Which technique involves Counterirritation/Diffuse Noxious Inhibitory Controls/Conditioned Pain Modulation/Heterotopic Noxious Conditioning Stimulation?
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
Which type of sensitization involves 'Skin-Nerve Preparation' and the use of bradykinin?
Peripheral Sensitization
What type of neurons are recorded in the spinal cord following a noxious stimulus according to Woolf's study?
Wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons
In the context of pain modulation techniques, what is the key difference between healthy controls and fibromyalgia patients?
Presence of Counterirritation/Diffuse Noxious Inhibitory Controls
Which term describes the phenomenon where a painful stimulus is perceived at a location distant from the actual source of the pain?
Referred pain
What is the term used to describe the convergence of somatic and visceral sensory inputs onto the same second-order neurons in the spinal cord?
Somatic-visceral convergence
What type of pain is associated with the drive to escape or attend to the pain rather than just the intensity or quality of the pain?
Motivational-affective aspect
Which term refers to an increased response to a noxious stimulus after injury or inflammation?
Sensitization after injury
In electrophysiological recordings, which tract carries sensory information related to pain and temperature from the periphery to the brain?
Anterolateral column
What term describes an increased sensitivity to pain, often in response to repeated noxious stimuli?
Hyperalgesia
Study Notes
Efferent Function of Nociceptors
- Neurogenic inflammation is a crucial function of nociceptors
Ascending Nociceptive Pathways
- Dorsal column and anterolateral column are two main pathways
- Spinothalamic tract, spinoreticular tract, and spinoparabrachial tract are components of the anterolateral column
Somatotopy
- Somatosensory cortex (S1) and thalamus are involved in somatotopy
- Brainstem nuclei are also involved in the transmission of nociceptive information
Trigeminal Anatomy
- Trigeminal nerve is responsible for transmitting nociceptive information from the face
Visceral Anatomy
- Nucleus tractus solitarius is involved in the transmission of visceral nociceptive information
- Visceral pain often converges with somatic pain
Afferent Fiber Termination
- Somatic and visceral afferent fibers terminate differently in the spinal cord
- Visceral pain is often referred to somatic areas due to convergence of fibers
Brain Mapping Techniques
- Cortical areas involved in pain processing are known as the "pain matrix"
- Sensory-discriminative aspects of pain involve localization, quality, and intensity of pain
- Motivational-affective aspects of pain involve unpleasantness and drive to escape or attend to pain
Central Sensitization
- Temporal summation, or "wind-up", is a characteristic of central sensitization
- Primary and secondary hyperalgesia are two types of central sensitization
- Secondary hyperalgesia can be divided into mirror pain and local desensitization/analgesia
Glia and Pain
- Microglia, astrocytes, and satellite glial cells play a role in pain processing
- Microgliosis is a key feature of central sensitization
Electrophysiological Recording
- Dorsal horn cells, anterior cingulate cells, and spinothalamic tract neurons can be electrophysiologically recorded
- Wide dynamic range (WDR), nociceptive-specific (NS), and low-threshold mechanosensitive (LTM) neurons are involved in pain processing
Counterirritation
- Counterirritation, diffuse noxious inhibitory controls, conditioned pain modulation, and heterotopic noxious conditioning stimulation are pain modulation techniques
- These techniques are affected in fibromyalgia patients
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
- TENS is a pain relief technique that activates Aβ fibers
- TENS can reduce pain by activating descending inhibitory pathways
Changes After Injury
- Peripheral and central sensitization occur after injury
- Injured and uninjured fibers play a role in peripheral sensitization
- Central sensitization leads to changes in the spinal cord and brain
Test your knowledge on central sensitization, temporal summation, wind-up phenomenon, and hyperalgesia in humans. Explore primary and secondary hyperalgesia, evidence related to mirror pain, and the effects of local desensitization/analgesia.
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