Touch Flashcards
What is somatosensation?
ability to sense touch, pain and temperature.
What are Cutaneous senses?
senses of the skin: tactile, thermal, pruritic (itchy), painful, and pleasant
What is nociception?
Our ability to sense pain. not pain itself
What does the process of pain start with?
nociceptors: receptors that fire info about impending or actual tissue damage to the brain
What are A delta fibers
Fast-conducting sensory nerves with myelinated axons
What are c-fibers?
Slow-conducting unmyelinated thin sensory afferents
What are c-tactile fibers?
nerves that convey gentle touch, light stroking
What is allodynia?
Pain due to a stimulus that does not normally provoke pain, e.g., when a light, stroking touch feels painful.
What is noxious stimuli?
A stimulus that is damaging or threatens damage to normal tissues
What is chronic pain
persistent pain, beyond usual course of acute illness or injury
when does sensatization occur?
Occurs when the response to a stimulus increases with exposure
