Pain Flashcards
What are the two types of adaptive pain?
nociceptive pain and inflammatory pain
What is the purpose of nociceptive pain?
protective function - produces behaviour or physiological responses to minimise damage e.g. withdrawal
What distinguishes the nociceptors from other mechanoreceptors?
the stimulus must be at a high level to produce a response
What type of nerve fibres carry information from nociceptors?
C fibres and A delta fibres
What is the difference between the nerve fibres that carry information from nociceptors?
C fibres are unmyelinated so have slow transmission which is responsible for the slow burn of pain and A delta fibres are myelinated so have fast transmission which is responsible for the fast sharp pain
Where do the nerve fibres that carry information from nociceptors synapse?
C fibres synapse in layer i and ii of the dorsal horn, A delta fibres synapse in layers i and v of the dorsal horn
What is the difference between hairy skin and glaborous skin for pain?
glaborous skin only has C fibres
Where does the pain pathway decussate?
at the level of the spinal cord where it enters
Where does the pain pathway travel in the spinal cord?
in the anterolateral tract
Do all the neurons in the pain pathway go to the anterolateral tract?
No - some neurons go to motor neurons for reflexes
What is inflammatory pain?
where inflammatory mediators lead to spontaneous pain and pain hypersensitivity
What is hyperalgesia?
an increased response to normally painful stimuli
What is allodynia?
a painful response to a normally innocuous stimuli
What causes hyperalgesia and allodynia?
sensitisation
What is secondary hyperalgesia?
where central sensitisation expands the area of the region of sensitivity to include areas that are not physically damaged
