Pain and the Somatosensory System - Lecture 6

Lecture 6 (October 21): Key Study Points

• Understand pain's role within the somatosensory system and the difference between acute and chronic pain.
• Differentiate neuropathic and inflammatory pain, and recognize relevant conditions (e.g., allodynia, hyperalgesia, spontaneous pain).
• Identify factors influencing pain perception beyond typical pain pathways.
• Describe the pain pathway, from primary sensory afferents to the cortex, and define nociceptors.
• Detail descending pathways and how the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) regulates pain.
• Outline various pharmacological approaches (e.g., opioids, cannabinoids, antidepressants, NMDA antagonists) to modulate pain, including roles of specific ion channels (NaV1.7 and TRPV1).
• Understand limitations of targeting single nociceptor receptors.
• Identify examples of anti-inflammatory drugs and their mechanisms of action.
• For somatosenses/pain, focus on learning objectives 7.15, 7.16, and 7.17.
• Understand pain pathways linked to sensory and emotional components.
• Understand opioid-induced analgesia (Figure 7.31). Avoid placebo analgesia and phantom limb pain for now (will be covered later).
• Focus on the entire learning objective 16.2 related to Seizure Disorders (chapter 16.1).
• Differentiate various seizure types (convulsive and non-convulsive). Identify examples of seizure causes and related pathways.
• Understand neuropharmacological aspects, especially excitation, inhibition, and the paroxysmal depolarization shift (PDS).
• Summarize interictal periods and current treatment approaches.
• Define ADME (in relation to pharmacokinetics).
• Describe different drug-administration routes and rationales.
• Explain Cmax, Cmin, Tmax, T1/2, and F (bioavailability).
• Understand why F% is important in drug efficacy.
• Define side effects and their causes, focusing on pharmacovigilance studies.
• Understand drug labels and black box warnings.
• Evaluate therapeutic indexes and their importance based on disease factors.

This quiz focuses on key concepts from Lecture 6 regarding the role of pain within the somatosensory system. It covers the differences between acute and chronic pain, as well as neuropathic and inflammatory pain. Additionally, the quiz explores pain pathways, nociceptors, and pharmacological approaches to pain modulation.