19 NERVES AND PAIN

Question 1

What element does pain have according to Emily Dickinson?

Answer 1

Pain has an element of blank

This suggests that pain is difficult to define or articulate.

Question 2

What is one of humanity’s greatest preoccupations related to?

Answer 2

Pain

Pain is considered one of medical science’s greatest challenges.

Question 3

What percentage of people may experience pain without purpose?

Answer 3

Up to 40 percent

This statistic highlights the prevalence of chronic pain.

Question 4

What is phantom limb pain?

Answer 4

Pain perceived in a part of the body that has been lost

It can persist even after amputation.

Question 5

What theory explains phantom limb pain?

Answer 5

The brain interprets the absence of signals from nerve fibers as severe injury

It sends out a distress signal continuously.

Question 6

What is trigeminal neuralgia also known as?

Answer 6

Tic douloureux

This condition is characterized by sharp, stabbing facial pain.

Question 7

What type of pain does trigeminal neuralgia cause?

Answer 7

Sharp, stabbing pain across the face

The pain can be sudden and severe.

Question 8

How is pain processed in the brain?

Answer 8

Pain can surface almost anywhere in the brain

There is no specific pain center in the brain.

Question 9

What does the International Association for the Study of Pain define pain as?

Answer 9

An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage

This definition encompasses a wide range of painful experiences.

Question 10

What is the McGill Pain Questionnaire used for?

Answer 10

To measure pain using descriptive words

It includes seventy-eight words describing different levels of discomfort.

Question 11

What scale do most pain researchers use today?

Answer 11

A simpler one-to-ten scale

This scale helps in quantifying pain more effectively.

Question 12

What are nociceptors?

Answer 12

Specialized nerve endings that respond to painful stimuli

They are crucial for the perception of pain.

Question 13

What types of stimuli do nociceptors respond to?

Answer 13

• Thermal
• Chemical
• Mechanical

The nociceptor for mechanical pain has not yet been identified.

Question 14

What are the two types of fibers that convey pain signals?

Answer 14

• A delta fibers
• C fibers

A delta fibers transmit sharp pain, while C fibers transmit throbbing pain.

Question 15

What is the speed of nerve signal transmission?

Answer 15

120 meters per second

This is significantly slower than the speed of light.

Question 16

What is the role of reflexes in pain response?

Answer 16

To intercept a signal and act before it reaches the brain

This allows for immediate reactions to painful stimuli.

Question 17

Who first identified nociceptors?

Answer 17

Charles Scott Sherrington

He made significant contributions to our understanding of the nervous system.

Question 18

What is the central nervous system composed of?

Answer 18

The brain and spinal cord

It serves as the main control center for the body.

Question 19

What does the autonomic nervous system control?

Answer 19

Involuntary actions like heartbeats

It includes sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions.

Question 20

What is the sympathetic nervous system responsible for?

Answer 20

The fight-or-flight response

This system prepares the body for sudden actions.

Question 21

What does the parasympathetic nervous system manage?

Answer 21

Rest and digest functions

It oversees less urgent bodily functions.

Question 22

What is an oddity of human peripheral nerves?

Answer 22

They can heal and regrow when damaged

This is not the case for central nervous system nerves.

Question 23

What is the fight-or-flight response?

Answer 23

A physiological reaction to perceived harmful events, attacks, or threats.

Question 24

What does the parasympathetic nervous system manage?

Answer 24

Rest and digest functions, including digestion, waste disposal, saliva production, and sexual arousal.

Question 25

How do peripheral nerves differ from central nervous system nerves in terms of healing?

Answer 25

Peripheral nerves can heal and regrow when damaged, unlike central nervous system nerves.

Question 26

What are the common causes of spinal cord injuries in the United States?

Answer 26

Car accidents and gunshot wounds.

Question 27

What is nociceptive pain?

Answer 27

Pain resulting from stimulation of pain receptors, such as stubbing a toe.

Question 28

What is inflammatory pain?

Answer 28

Pain that occurs when tissue becomes swollen and red.

Question 29

What characterizes dysfunctional pain?

Answer 29

Pain without external stimulus that causes no nerve damage or inflammation.

Question 30

What is neuropathic pain?

Answer 30

Pain resulting from damaged or overly sensitive nerves.

Question 31

What is the difference between acute and chronic pain?

Answer 31

Acute pain is short-term and protective, while chronic pain persists and can be debilitating.

Question 32

Who is Patrick Wall and what was his view on pain?

Answer 32

A British neuroscientist who argued that pain beyond a certain level is often pointless.

Question 33

What are primary headaches?

Answer 33

Headaches without a direct, identifiable cause, such as migraines and tension headaches.

Question 34

What are secondary headaches?

Answer 34

Headaches that arise from a precipitating event, like an infection or tumor.

Question 35

What percentage of people are affected by migraines?

Answer 35

15 percent.

Question 36

Fill in the blank: Pain is curiously ______.

Answer 36

mutable.

Question 37

What can increase perceived levels of pain?

Answer 37

Being depressed or worried.

Question 38

What is the placebo effect?

Answer 38

A phenomenon where patients experience relief from symptoms due to their belief in a treatment, even if it's inactive.

Question 39

What did studies show about the effectiveness of placebos?

Answer 39

Placebos can be effective even when patients know they are receiving a placebo.

Question 40

What is the opioid crisis?

Answer 40

A public health crisis resulting from the over-prescription and addiction to opioid painkillers.

Question 41

What percentage of the world's opioids does the United States consume?

Answer 41

80 percent.

Question 42

What is one major consequence of the opioid crisis?

Answer 42

A significant rise in organ donations from opioid addicts.

Question 43

What does 'free analgesia' refer to?

Answer 43

Pain management techniques that do not involve pharmaceuticals, such as cognitive-behavioral therapies.

Question 44

What role does neuroimaging play in pain management?

Answer 44

It helps persuade people to engage with their brain to manage pain.

Question 45

What is referred pain?

Answer 45

Pain that is felt in a different area of the body than where it originates.

Question 46

What is the International Classification of Headache Disorders?

Answer 46

A system that recognizes fourteen categories of headaches.

Question 47

Fill in the blank: Chronic pain affects more people than ______, heart disease, and diabetes combined.

Answer 47

cancer.

Question 48

What did Andrew Rice state about the effectiveness of pain relief drugs?

Answer 48

They relieve pain for 50 percent of patients only one in four to one in seven times.

Question 49

What was a significant observation made by Irene Tracey regarding chronic pain?

Answer 49

Chronic pain is a system gone wrong and can be viewed as a disease in its own right.