Pain Sensations in the Nervous System

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Questions and Answers

All the following stimuli are likely to cause bowel pain except one. Which one is this exception?

Over-extension

Ischemia

Cut with sharp knife (correct)

Spasm

Chemical irritation

Which of the following sensory modalities uses unmyelinated fibers to convey information to the central nervous system?

Vibration

Pain (correct)

Vision

Proprioception

Which of the following best describes the type of excitatory transmitter secreted from the nerve endings of type A-delta pain fibers?

GABA

Glutamate (correct)

Norepinephrine

Glycine

Substance P

Which of the following anatomical and sensory information is paired correctly?

Free nerve ending—type C fiber Signup and view all the answers

The highest degree of pain localization comes from

Simultaneous stimulation of free nerve endings and touch receptors Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the paleospinothalamic tract?

Terminates predominantly in the lower brain regions Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following substances is most likely to activate pain receptors?

Bradykinin Signup and view all the answers

The neospinothalamic tract transmits which of the following modalities of sensation?

Fast pain impulses Signup and view all the answers

Neurons involved with the endogenous analgesia system and with cell bodies in the Raphe nucleus are most likely to secrete which of the following substances?

Serotonin Signup and view all the answers

Referred pain results from an intermingling of pain fibers in which of the following structures?

Dorsal horn of spinal cord Signup and view all the answers

Slow pain (also called second pain) often occurs following injury to the surface of the body. Slow pain is dependent neurologically on the existence of Fast pain (also called first pain)?

False Signup and view all the answers

Stimulation of which brain area can modulate the sensation of pain?

Periaqueductal gray Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the type of excitatory transmitter secreted from the nerve endings of type C pain fibers?

Substance P Signup and view all the answers

A 45-year-old man suffers severe, chronic pain caused by a back injury. His physician prescribes benzodiazepine sedation medications to help him sleep. Which of the following best describes why this man has difficulty sleeping without medication?

Excitation of reticular activating system Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following substances is most likely to cause ischemic pain?

Bradykinin Signup and view all the answers

A 28-year-old student pokes his left hand with a needle. Which of the following best describes the number of neurons required to transmit the pain sensation from the left hand to the somatosensory cortex?

Three Signup and view all the answers

Second pain (slow pain) follows first pain (fast pain) because second pain is dependent neurologically on first pain.

False Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Pain Sensations

Bowel pain can be caused by a variety of stimuli, including chemical irritation, ischemia, over-extension, and spasm. However, a cut with a sharp knife is unlikely to cause bowel pain.
Pain is transmitted to the central nervous system through unmyelinated fibers (type C fibers).
Type A-delta fibers transmit sharp, pricking pain (fast pain) and use glutamate as an excitatory transmitter.
Type C fibers transmit slow, burning, aching, and throbbing pain (slow pain) and use substance P as an excitatory transmitter.
Free nerve endings are the sensory receptors for pain.
The dorsal column system is responsible for touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception, not pain and temperature sensation.
The paleospinothalamic tract transmits slow pain and terminates predominantly in the lower brain regions.
Bradykinin is a potent pain-producing substance released during tissue damage and inflammation.
The neospinothalamic tract transmits fast pain impulses.
The raphe nuclei are involved in the endogenous analgesia system and secrete serotonin.
Referred pain occurs when pain fibers from different areas of the body converge in the same dorsal horn segment of the spinal cord.
Slow pain (second pain) follows fast pain (first pain) because it is transmitted more slowly via type C fibers.
The periaqueductal gray is a brain area that can modulate the sensation of pain.
Benzodiazepines can help with sleep by depressing the reticular activating system.
Ischemic pain is caused by a lack of blood flow to tissues, and bradykinin is a common cause of ischemic pain.
The transmission of a pain sensation from the periphery to the somatosensory cortex involves three neurons: a primary afferent neuron, a second-order neuron, and a third-order neuron.
Second pain (slow pain) is not dependent on first pain (fast pain) but rather on the slower transmission of pain signals via type C fibers.

Headache

Headache is a common symptom that can be caused by a variety of factors, including tension, stress, inflammation, and disease.
Migraines are a type of headache that can be debilitating and are often characterized by intense throbbing pain, nausea, and vomiting.

Thermal Sensations

Temperature is sensed by free nerve endings that are specialized to respond to either heat or cold.
Thermoreceptors are located in the skin and mucous membranes, and they transmit information about temperature changes to the central nervous system via the spinothalamic tract.
The hypothalamus is responsible for regulating body temperature.

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Description

This quiz focuses on the mechanisms of pain sensation, including the types of pain fibers, their transmission pathways, and the substances involved in pain response. Test your understanding of how different stimuli affect bowel pain and the role of various receptors and tracts in the nervous system.