Pain Flashcards
What is nociception?
The sensory process that provides signals in the nervous system that trigger pain.
What is pain?
The feeling/perception of sensations from a part of the body.
-sore/stinging/ache
What controls pain sensations?
A specific part of the somatosensory system.
What is congenital analgesia?
Inability to feel pain from birth.
- decreased lifespan as don’t learn from pain
- rare: ~32 people
What is the structure of nociceptors found in peripheries?
Free nerve endings.
-Pacinian, Ruffini’s, etc
What happens to nociceptive nerve endings in the dermis?
They branch out to unmyelinated endings.
-leads to difficulties localising pain
Where are the cell bodies of normal sensory receptors located?
In the dorsal root ganglion.
What does tissue damage and inflammation trigger?
The release of peripheral chemical mediators.
-e.g. prostaglandins, bradykinin
What effect does substance P have on mast cells?
Substance P stimulates mast cells to release histamine and bradykinin
» chemical nociceptors.
What is the function of prostaglandins/bradykinin/histamines in pain?
They sensitise chemical nociceptors»_space; easier for an AP to be generated.
-can induce hyperalgesia
What is hyperalgesia?
Abnormally heightened sensitivity to pain.
What are the main modalities of nociceptors? (3)
- Mechanical (pressure)
- Thermal (hot/cold)
- Chemical (e.g. histamine)
Do most nociceptors only respond to one modality?
No, most are polymodal.
-respond to mechanical, thermal and chemical stimuli
Which types of free nerve endings does transduction of nociceptive stimuli occur in? (2)
- Unmyelinated C fibres
- Thinly myelinated A-delta fibres
How do sensory fibres project to the brain?
Travel to dorsal horn, and project to brain via ascending pathways.
What sort of pain do TRPV receptors detect?
Thermal - heat.
TRPV1 also detects chemical
What sort of pain does a TRPM8 receptor detect?
Thermal - cold.
What sort of pain do TRPV1, ASIC and DRASIC recptors detect?
Chemical.
What sort of pain do MDEG, DRASIC and TREK-1 receptors detect?
Mechanical.
What is microneurography?
An experiment that records transcutaneous nerve signals and is used to discriminate sensory afferents.
What is the difference between detectors that sense warmth and pain from heat?
THERMORECEPTORS sense temperature, but no increase above a certain threshold
NOCICEPTOR transmission increases when temperature becomes painful (45*+)
What sort of fibres are associated with low threshold mechanoreceptors?
Large diameter, rapidly conducting afferents (I/II).
What sort of fibres are associated with nociceptors and thermoreceptors?
Small diameter, slow conducting afferents (III/IV).
What types of nociceptors have A-delta fibres?
Thermal and mechanical nociceptors.
20m/sec
What types of nociceptors have C fibres?
Polymodal nociceptors.
2m/sec
What are the 2 categories of pain perception?
1st and 2nd pain.
What sort of sensation is 1st pain, and which fibres carry it?
- Sharp/prickling sensation
- Fast A-delta fibres
What sort of sensation is 2nd pain, and which fibres carry it?
- Dull ache/burning
- Slow C fibres
What type of pain is more easily localised; 1st or 2nd?
1st pain is more easily localised.
What type of pain has slow onset; 1st or 2nd?
2nd pain has slow onset.
1st pain has rapid onset.
Which type of pain is more persistent; 1st or 2nd pain?
2nd pain is more persistent.
1st pain has a shorter duration.
What type of receptors produce 1st pain?
- Mechanical nociceptors
- Thermal nociceptors
What type of receptors produce 2nd pain?
Polymodal nociceptors.
Summarise 1st pain.
- Fast A-delta fibres
- Sharp/prickling sensation
- Easily located
- Rapid onset
- Short duration
- Mechanical and thermal nociceptors
Summarise 2nd pain.
- Slow C fibres
- Dull ache/burning
- Poorly localised
- Slow onset
- Persistent
- Polymodal nociceptors
Is it possible to selectively anaethetise A-delta and C fibres?
Yes, but wouldn’t do it clinically.
Where are nociceptive fibre cell bodies located?
Within dorsal root ganglion.
Upon entering the dorsal horn, what happens to primary afferents?
- They can ascend/descend on spinal cord level in the ZONE OF LISSAUER (dorsolateral)
- Then synapse within superficial laminae
What effect does the fact that 1* fibres can ascend/descend before synapsing have?
Can lead to pain localisation issues.
What are the principle laminae that nociceptor afferents enter?
Laminae I and II.
substantia gelatinosa; most dorsal
Why does referred pain occur between viscera and cutaneous sources?
Nociceptive afferents from internal organs and the skin enter the spinal cord through common routes and synapse with the same 2* neurons.
Where is pain from angina often referred to?
Upper chest wall and left arm.
Where is pain from appendicitis often referred to?
Abdominal wall around the navel.
Where is pain from the oesophagus often referred to?
Chest wall.
Where is pain from the bladder often referred to?
Perineum.
Where is pain from the ureter often referred to?
Lower abdomen and back.
Where is pain from the prostate often referred to?
Lower trunk and legs.
What excitatory neurotransmitter do pain afferents release?
Glutamate.
What substances do vesicles at synaptic terminals of pain afferent contain?
Neuropeptides.
-e.g. substance P
What is the function of substance P?
Mediator of nociceptive synaptic transmission in the dorsal horn.
-helps to differentiate between different levels of pain
Where is substance P most dense?
In the superficial dorsal horn.
What type of pathway are ascending pain pathways?
Contralateral spinothalamic pathways.
-cross at level of spinal cord entry
What is the process of pain information travelling to the brain?
Stimulus»_space; 1* neuron»_space; dorsal horn of spinal cord»_space; synapses»_space; 2* neuron»_space; ascends to thalamus»_space; synapses»_space; 3* neuron»_space; somatosensory cortex (PCG).
What is the overall pathway for conveying pain/temperature called?
Anterolateral system.
What are the 3 components of the anterolateral system?
- Lateral spinothalamic tract
- Spinoreticulothalamic tract
- Anterior spinothalamic tract
What is another name for the spinoreticulothalamic tract?
Paleospinothalamic tract.
Where does the anterior spinothalmic tract project to?
- Reticular formation
- Periaqueductal grey matter
Which sensory afferents follow the same route to the sensory cortex as pain afferents?
Non-nociceptive temperature afferents.
-both spinothalamic pathway
What is dissociated sensory loss (Brown-Sequard syndrome)?
Unilateral spinal cord lesion.
» sensory loss of touch/proprioception on same side (DORSAL COLUMN PATHWAY)
» sensory loss of pain on opposite side (SPINOTHALAMIC PATHWAY)
What pathway carries pain and temperature sensations from the face/head?
Trigeminothalamic tract.
How do pain and temperature sensations from the face and head travel to the somatosensory cortex?
1* afferents travel in spinal trigeminal tract to brainstem»_space; synapse in pars caudalis»_space; 1* neurons»_space; trigeminothalmic tract»_space; thalamus»_space; VPM»_space; cortex.
How can pain be ‘visualised’?
Using a PET scan of regional cerebral blood flow.
Which areas of the brain light up on a PET scan when thermal pain is induced to the hand?
- 1* somatosensory cortex
- Limbic cortex (insular and anterior cingulate)
What is ‘phantom pain’?
Pain and touch sensations with no sensory inputs.
What proportion of amputees suffer from phantom pain?
50-80%.
How is phantom pain treated?
Highly resistant to treatment.
-various drugs/treatments tried
What is the cause of phantom pain?
Aetiology is unclear.
- may be due to cortical reorganisation (thalamus/cortex)
- may be due to central sensitisation (change in synaptic structure of dorsal horn)
What are opiates?
Analgesic drugs derived from opium.
-relieve pain