Pain Flashcards
What is pain ?
unpleasant sensory
& emotional experience
arising from actual
or potential tissue damage
or described in terms of such damage
Is pain subject or objective and what is it based on ?
Subjective
Based on patient perception
Purpose of Pain?
Pain is a warning signal to react to stimulus
or withdraw from harm
What is pain classified by ?
Pain is classified
by its pathophysiology into:
Neuropathic pain
Nociceptive pain
What is Neuropathic pain ?
Neuropathic pain is when the nerve fibres themselves may be damaged or dysfunctional. These damaged nerve fibres send incorrect signals to other pain centres
arising from damage to a nerve.
abnormal processing of stimuli from the PNS or CNS.
& is thought to serve no useful purpose
Nociceptive pain ?
Involves the
normal neural processing of pain that occurs
when free nerve endings are activated by tissue damage
or inflammation.
Nociception involves what 4 processes ?
▪ Transduction
▪ Transmission
▪ Perception
▪ Modulation
What is Transduction in Nociception pain ?
Tissue damage which releases chemical mediators
– > activate nociceptors
–> transduction
or the generation of AP
chemical mediators: ▪ Prostaglandins ▪ Bradykinin ▪ Serotonin ▪ Substance P ▪ Histamine
AP = action potential
(an electrical impulse)
What is Transmission in Nociception pain ?
action potential
moves from site of injury along afferent nerve fibres
to nociceptors at the spinal cord.
Release of substance P and other neurotransmitters carries the action potential across the cleft to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, where it ascends the spinothalamic tract to the thalamus and the midbrain.
From the thalamus,
fibres send the nociceptive message to the somatosensory cortex, parietal lobe, frontal lobe, and the limbic system,
where the perception occurs.
What are the chemical mediators released in Transduction of pain ?
▪ Prostaglandins ▪ Bradykinin ▪ Serotonin ▪ Substance P ▪ Histamine
Short summary of What is Transmission in Nociception pain ?
action potential
moves from site of injury along afferent nerve fibres
to nociceptors at the spinal cord.
Substance P and other NT carry AP to the Thalamus (&mid brain)
From the Thalamus,
fibres send the nociceptive message to Limbic system
Where the perception occurs.
What is Perception in Nociceptiev pain ?
& what does it involve ?
The conscious experience of pain
involves both the sensory and affective components of pain.
What produces the emotional response to pain in Nociceptive pain ?
(Perception)
The limbic system at the area of the anterior cingulated gyrus produces the emotional response to pain,
activation of the midbrain leading to the modulation
What leads to the final nociceptive process ?
what leads to the modulaton ?
activation of the midbrain leading to the modulation
Where does the perception of nociceptive pain occur ?
somatosensory cortex, parietal lobe,
frontal lobe,
limbic system
