Neuroscience Of Pain Flashcards
What is the difference between afferent and efferent information in the nervous system?
Afferent information carries signals from the body’s tissues about internal and external environments to the CNS, while efferent transmission sends directive signals from the CNS to body effectors.
What is the receptor type, stimulus, axon diameter, myelination, and conduction velocity for Ia fibers?
• Receptor Type: Muscle Spindle (Ia)
• Stimulus: Proprioception
• Axon Diameter: Largest
• Myelination: Yes
• Conduction Velocity: Fastest
What is the receptor type, stimulus, axon diameter, myelination, and conduction velocity for Beta fibers?
• Receptor Type: Meissner’s
• Stimulus: Touch
• Axon Diameter: Large
• Myelination: Yes
• Conduction Velocity: Fast
What is the receptor type, stimulus, axon diameter, myelination, and conduction velocity for A-delta fibers?
• Receptor Type: A-delta Nociceptor
• Stimulus: Tissue injury (mechanical, thermal)
• Axon Diameter: Small
• Myelination: Yes
• Conduction Velocity: Slower (fast pain, withdrawal reflex)
What is the receptor type, stimulus, axon diameter, myelination, and conduction velocity for C-PMN fibers?
• Receptor Type: C-PMN Nociceptor (polymodal)
•
Stimulus: Tissue injury (mechanical, thermal, algogenic chemicals in interstitial fluid)
• Axon Diameter: Smallest
• Myelination: No
• Conduction Velocity: Slowest (slow pain, chronic pain)
Which fibres are most prevalent and studied among nociceptors?
The free nerve endings of A-delta (Aδ) and C fibres are the most prevalent and studied.
Are all A-delta and C fibres nociceptors?
No, not all A-delta and C fibres are nociceptors, and not all nociceptors are A-delta or C fibres.
What type of receptors are A-delta and C fibres mostly classified as?
They are mostly high-threshold mechanoreceptors.
What function do C fibres have when innervating hair follicles?
These C fibres are slow-conducting and high-threshold but do not serve a nociceptive function. They detect stimuli from hair-to-hair over receptive fields and are also called C(aress) fibres.
How can A-Beta neurons respond to noxious stimuli?
When A-Beta neurons are not specialized, they can act as free nerve endings and respond to mechanical and noxious stimuli.
Which fibres are the fastest, and how fast are they?
Fat and myelinated fibres are the fastest, conducting signals at 80-120 m/s.
Which fibres are the slowest, and what is their conduction speed?
Thin, unmyelinated fibres, like A-delta (Aδ) and C fibres, are the slowest, conducting signals at 0.5-2 m/s.
What type of stimulation do A-delta (Aδ) and C fibres require to trigger a signal?
They need high-intensity mechanical stimulation, noxious heat, or noxious cold to trigger a signal.
Where are receptors located, and what is their role in sensory perception?
Receptors are located at the distal ends of afferent neurons (primary sensory neurons/first-order neurons) and are specialized to detect specific stimulus types.
Describe the path of an afferent signal from detection to processing in the brain.
- Stimulus detected by receptors.
- Signal travels to the dorsal root and dorsal horn of the spinal cord.
- Ascends via second-order neurons to the thalamus.
- Travels to the somatosensory cortex and other brain areas via third-order neurons for interpretation.
Besides the somatosensory cortex, what brain areas are involved in sensory processing?
Areas related to memory, emotion, cognition, and autonomics are also involved.
What is the path of an efferent signal?
- Signal travels down descending tracts to the ventral horn of the spinal cord.
- Travels through the ventral root to specific nerves.
- Reaches muscles or glands to produce a response.
What are the four stages between a stimulus and its perception?
Transduction, transmission, modulation, and perception.
What two events make up a nerve impulse?
An electrical event (action potential) and a chemical event (neurotransmitter release).
What happens during transduction?
Stimuli are converted into action potentials by sensory receptors.
What occurs during transmission?
Nerve signals enter and ascend through the CNS using specific neural tracts.
What is modulation in the context of sensory processing?
Modulation alters sensory transmission intensity via inputs from touch or descending signals from the brain (e.g., emotions), either increasing or decreasing the signal.
What is perception in the sensory process?
Perception is the subjective experience of a stimulus, influenced by transduction, transmission, and modulation, and altered by factors like emotions and sleep.
How can emotions affect perception?
Emotions such as happiness, fear, or anger can significantly alter how a stimulus is perceived.