Scenario 26: Pain Flashcards
What detects noxious stimuli?
Nociceptors
Where are the cell bodies of the nociceptors?
In the dorsal root ganglion
What is the difference between the primary sensory neurone fibres?
AB - heavily myelinated, touch
C- thinly myelinated, dull/slow pain
Ad - fast, pain
What are the main modalities of nociceptor?
Thermal nociceptors (over 45 degrees), chemical nociceptors, polymodal nociceptors, mechano-nociceptors and silent
Which modalities have C fibres and which have Ad?
Thermal nociceptors (over 45 degrees), chemical nociceptors, polymodal nociceptors = C Mechano-nociceptors= Ad
Where in the spinal cord do most neurones involved in pain terminate?
Laminae I and II
Which part of pain is the spinothalamic pathway responsible for?
Discriminative part of nociception, fast pain
Which part of pain is the spinoreticular pathway responsible for?
Arousal and affective (unpleasantness) aspects of pain, dull pain
Where are nociceptive inputs processed?
Pain matrix
Describe the gate control theory of pain
Best visualised as the concept that activation of Ad fibres (pain of a hit) followed by that of C fibres (rubbing the area) can provide relief from pain. Activation of other nerve fibres can modify or block the pain response.
What regulates the gate in the gate control theory?
Activity of other pain fibres, activity of other peripheral fibres, messages descending from higher cortex (emotions, mental condition)
What is the role of glycinergic neurones in the deep dorsal horn of the pain in pain?
Inhibit it, so that if they are blocked, the pain or itch response to a given stimuli is much higher
What is plasticity in regards to pain pathways?
The concept that neural substrates which modify pain are modifiable depending on use or modulatory influences
What are the three components of pain?
Sensory- discriminative (sense of intensity, duration, location) affective-motivational (unpleasantness and desire to escape it) and cognitive component (involves judgements, beliefs, memories, perception of enviroment and patient’s history)
How are PAG and RVM involved in pain?
PAG- full of opioid receptors and enkephalins. Electrical stimulation here causes analgesia. (neurones -> serotonergic)
RVM- inhibition and facilitation of nociceptive processing, bidirectional control of nociception
What are the two types of pain hypersensitivity and what characterises them?
Allodynia- normal non-painful stimulus is painful
Hyperalgesia- responsiveness is increased so noxious stimuli provide exaggerated and prolonged pain
What are the two mechanisms involved in hypersensitivity to pain?
Peripheral sensitisation- reduction in threshold and increase in responsiveness (due to inflammatory chemicals)
Central sensitisation- increases in excitability of neurones within CNS triggered by burst of activity in nociceptors which alters the strength of synaptic connections
Which channelopathy causes an inability to feel pain?
SCN9A mutation. Codes for Nav1.7 which is strongly expressed in nociceptive neurones
What happens in Nav1.7 deletion?
Increase in enkephalin precursor Penk mRNA and met-enkephalin protein in sensory neurones
What characteristic congenital inability to feel pain?
Insensitive to acute tissue damaging stimuli, no pain with chronic injury, no sweating, variable cognitive impairment, recurrent episodic fever, normal touch, motor function and senses
What is the role of NGF in pain mechanisms?
Promotes survival of sympathetic and sensory neurones so can feel pain. If knocked out in animal models, response to noxious stimuli is gone. Most HSN IV patients show loss of small diameter sensory neurones in peripheral nerves
How can a point mutation in SCN9A increase pain sensitivity?
More expression of Nav1.7, leads to primary erythromelalgia and paroxysmal extreme pain disorder
Which genes are thought to be involved in those insensitive to pain?
trkA/NGF and Nav1.7
Which genes are thought to be involved in those hypersensitive to pain?
Nav1.7
Which genes are thought to be involved in those with migrane?
SNP
Which genes are thought to be involved normal pain mechanisms?
COMT, GCH, MOR, CGRP
What is the mechanism of nociceptive pain?
Tissue damage activating nociceptors
What is the mechanism of inflammatory pain?
Inflammatory mediators activating nociceptors
What is the mechanism of neuropathic pain?
Nerve damage activating nociceptors
What is involved in a hyperplasia response to mechanical stimulus?
Pain occurs outside injury site and involves a central mechanism
What is involved in a hyperplasia response to thermal stimulus?
Pain occurs at injury site and involves peripheral mechanism
What happens in peripheral sensitisation?
Nociceptors are responding more to same stimulus. Ligands act on receptors, set off second messenger systems which modulate pain:
1) change sensitivity of receptor often by Pi
2) second messengers change voltage gated channels so can be activated more easily
3) coupled to axon transport systems which modulate gene expression
What happens in central sensitisation?
Altered CNS processing. Amplification of pain signal. Repetitive nociceptive stimulation- increases sensitivity of CNS (wind up) anatomical reorganisation, reduced inhibition, glial activation
What are the four stages of pain processing?
Transduction, transmission, perception (not always present, general anaesthesia) and modulation
What are the features of fast pain?
Sensation: pricking, well localised, rapid onset.
Fibre: Ad
Synapse location: laminae I and V
What are the features of an Ad neurone fibre?
2-5 nm diameter, myelinated, velocity 5-15 m/s
What are the features of an C neurone?
0.5-2 nm diameter, non or thinly myelinated, velocity 0.5-2 m/s
What are the features of slow pain?
Sensation: dull aching, diffuse, slow onset
Fibre: C
Synapse location: laminae II
Where are tranductive molecules found?
On free nerve endings of nociceptive neurones
What do TRPV1 or TRPA1 sense?
Heat and noxious chemicals
What does Ad HTMR sense?
High threshold mechanoreceptors
What does P2X3 sense?
ATP response after tissue trauma
What does H1 sense?
Histamine receptor, itch
What does B2 sense?
Bradykinin
What does PGE2 sense?
PGE2
What do ASIC, Piezo2 and TRP sense?
Mechanical stimulation