PSYC 210 - Pain

Question 1

________ nerve endings detect warmth, cold, and pain.

Answer 1

free

Question 2

In your somatosensory system, you have neurons with __________. This means at the terminal, you will not find any specialized mechanical receptors, just nerve endings.

Answer 2

free nerve endings

Question 3

Pain is a part of the ________ system, along with touch.

Answer 3

somatosensory

Question 4

The set of somatosensory neurons that process information about pain include the ____ fibers and ___ fibers.

Answer 4

C, A-delta

Question 5

The _________ fibers travel fastest because they are myelinated.

Answer 5

A delta

Question 6

________ or ________ receptors process sharp, prickling pain. This includes ____ fibers.

Answer 6

Thermal, mechanical, Adelta

Question 7

________ fibers process pain initiated by high temperature.

Answer 7

Adelta

Question 8

_________ receptors use ____ fibers to process searing, diffusing pain.

Answer 8

Polymodal, C

Question 9

C fibers are __________, causing them to produce action potentials slower and process pain slower.

Answer 9

unmyelinated

Question 10

C fibers have __________ receptors meaning they can process different types of pain.

Answer 10

polymodal

Question 11

______ fibers process chronic, slow pain.

Answer 11

C

Question 12

__________ is caused by the activation of free nerve endings of A-delta fibers and C-fibers to noxious or harmful stimuli, which can be mechanical, thermal, or chemical.

Answer 12

nociceptive pain

Question 13

__________ is caused by chemical mediators/triggers of pain including histamine, proteins, prostaglandins, serotonin, cytokines, neuropeptide, and nerve growth factors.

Answer 13

inflammatory pain

Question 14

Harmful or noxious stimuli are dependent on __________, so we cannot predict whether one stimulus will be perceived as harmful or not.

Answer 14

perception

Question 15

Any stimuli can cause ________.

Answer 15

pain

Question 16

Pain (nerve) fibers form synapses in the _________ of the spinal cord, then cross the midline in the spinal cord. Then, the spinothalamic tract carries the fibers that encode pain to the ___________.

Answer 16

dorsal horn, thalamus

Question 17

Every part of our brain can process _______ information.

Answer 17

pain

Question 18

The spinothalamic tract carries pian fibers to the ________, then to ____.

Answer 18

thalamus, S1

Question 19

Descending pathway goes through the ________________.

Answer 19

PAG

Question 19

A top-down system that releases opioids at the spinal cord to inhibit the ascending pain signals.

Answer 19

descending pain pathways

Question 19

The spinoparabrachial pathway innervates areas of the brain concerned with ________ (amygdala, insular cortex, anterior cingulate cortex).

Answer 19

emotion

Question 20

_________ refers to the fact that pain fiber from skin or muscle and pain fiber from an internal organ form a synapse on the same dorsal horn neuron (convergence). This causes pain in internal organs to feel like pain in muscle or skin.

Answer 20

referred pain

Question 20

In general, it is easier for _______ to detect pain and have better tolerance for pain.

Answer 20

females

Question 21

In male mice, an increased sensitivity to pain depends on immune cells in the spinal cord called __________. In females, it is ____ cells that seem to control pain.

Answer 21

microglia, T

Question 21

Injuries to peripheral nerves can caused increased ___________ to pain.

Answer 21

sensitivity

Question 22

Males lacking ____________ switch to the pain response seen in females. Females that lack _________, or that are pregnant, switch to the pathway observed in males.

Answer 22

testosterone, T cells

Question 23

It takes a higher dose of morphine to reduce pain for ___________.

Answer 23

women

Question 24

_________ is a response to any type of potentially harmful stimulation.

Answer 24

pain

Question 25

Pain can be effectively modulated by _________ and _________ factors.

Answer 25

emotional, cognitive

Question 26

Pain has no defined _________ representation.

Answer 26

cortical

Question 27

_________ and _________ fibers have 4 different types of mechanoreceptors surrounding the fiber terminals for touch and proprioception.

Answer 27

A-alpha, A-beta

Question 28

___ fibers and myelinated _______ fibers with free nerve endings process pain (nociception).

Answer 28

C, A-delta

Question 29

___________- and _________ can alleviate pain. For example, the Buzzy device (cooling pad + vibrating body) effectively reduces needle related pain in children.

Answer 29

vibration, cold

Question 30

Neural fibers activated by vibration inhibits firing of ________ activated by needle pain.

Answer 30

fibers

Question 31

________ perception in the brain reduces responses to all sensation from the body.

Answer 31

cold

Question 32

___________ decrease swelling in tissues, but there is an increased risk of bleeding, stomach irritation, and allergic reaction.

Answer 32

NSAIDS

Question 33

_________ (selective NSAID) decrease inflammation, but there is slight risk of heart attack.

Answer 33

COX 2 inhibitor

Question 34

___________ blocks pain signals in the CNS, but there may be liver problems.

Answer 34

acetaminophen

Question 35

________ (narcotics) stimulate opiate receptors and block pain messages in the CNS, but can cause depressed breathing, sleepiness, addiction, tolerance, or euphoria.

Answer 35

opiates

Question 36

Cannabis has __________ effects. Like opioid receptors, ________ receptors are widely expressed throughout the human brain.

Answer 36

anti-inflammatory, cannabinoid