CSA 2 Flashcards
What is pain?
Unpleasant sensory experience associated with tissue damage, accompanied with an emotional response.
Why do we feel pain?
Warning sign– avoid harmful situations, prevent further injury or death, signal to rest
What are the possible categories of sensations of pain?
Sharp stab, throbbing, burning, deep ache, freezing, Itch
What are the 3 classifications of pain?
Nociceptive (normal functioning of nociceptors), Inflammatory (pain in response to inflammation), Neuropathic (in response to injury to nervous system)
What are nociceptors?
Primary sensory neurons that detect pain.
What are the classifications of afferent nerve fibres? Describe nerve structure, use, and conduction speed.
A-alpha and A-beta (myelinated, large diameter, light touch, proprioception 30-75 m/s), A-delta (thinly myelinated, medium diameter, light touch, temperature, nociception, 5-30 m/s), and C fibres (unmyelinated, small diameter, temperature, nociception 0.5-2 m/s).
What is special about nociceptors in the periphery?
They have free nerve endings.
Name 4 types of specialised A-Beta fibres and uses.
Meissner’s (stroke/fluttering), Pacinian (vibration), Merkel discs (pressure), Ruffini (Stretch)
What kind of pain do c fibres produce? Describe pain transduction.
Slow dull ache, burning pain, poorly localised
What kind of pain do Adelta fibres produce? Describe pain transduction.
sharp pricking pain, well localised, acitvation of reflex arcs
What is the significance of having polymodal nociceptors?
Pain can result from pressure, temperature, and chemical responses, distinguished in CNS
Discuss Pressure Transduction Mechanism
Not yet identified in eukaryotic cells, mechanosensitive channels (Potentially acid sensing channels, or transient receptor potential TRP channels)
Discuss Temperature Transduction Mechanism
via TRP channels, TRPV1 (transience receptor potential vannilloid 1) used for Hot or capsacin. TRM for cold/menthol. TRPA1 for very cold or cinammon.
Describe pain pathway among first order neurons
Spinothalamic tract: Enter dorsal horn, form tract of lissauer, synapse in substantia gelatinosa, glutamate and substance p excites second order neurons
Describe pain pathway among second order neurons
Cross in dorsal horn at each level, ascend in anterolateral column to thalamus, synapse on third order neuron
What causes referred pain?
Convergence of visceral and cutaneous nociceptors on same second order neurons in spinal cord. Brain perceives this as cutaneous pain (eg angina perceived in upper chest wall and left arm)
Describe pain pathway among third order neurons
Ascend to primary somatosensory cortex (lower body to medial cortex, upper body to lateral cortex). Project to insula and cingulate cortex to encode emotional components of pain.
Why do some battle victims report no pain?
Stress-induced analgesia, activated by higher cortical pathways
What are the two important areas of descending regulation of pain? Describe path and purpose.
Periaqueductal gray matter (PAG) and Raphe Nucleus Magnus (in rostral ventromedial medulla). PAG to Raphe Nucleus to dorsal horn, modulates activity of spinothalamic tract.
How can the Raphe nucleus inhibit the spinothalamic tract?
Serotonergic projections excite inhibitory interneurons, which inhibit second order spinothalamic neurons
How do opioids inhibit pain?
Act on inhibitory metabotropic receptors.
Where are opioids released?
From interneurons, multiple sites: midbrain (PAG), medulla (raphe nucleus), dorsal horn
What activates nociceptors?
ATP (purinergic receptors P2X), H+ (acid sensing ion channels), Serotonin (5HT3 receptors)
What does the activation of one branch of a nociceptor axon trigger?
Release substance p and CGRP from another, causing vasodilation, increased permeability, activation of mast cells (releasing histamine = more inflammation)