Exam Two - neurobiology of pain

Question 1

nociception

Answer 1

the physiological process underlying the sensation of pain
- allows the body to naturally withdraw from the noxious stimulus and trigger the body to secrete analgesics

Question 2

pain

Answer 2

an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience that is associated with actual or potential tissue damage

Question 3

subjective awareness of tissue injury

Answer 3

pain

Question 4

occurs in the brain and requires consciousness

Answer 4

pain

Question 5

is an issue of psychological well being

Answer 5

pain

Question 6

unconscious detection of tissue injury and transmission of injury signals to the brain

Answer 6

nociception

Question 7

does not require consciousness

Answer 7

nociception

Question 8

is an issue of physiological well being

Answer 8

nociception

Question 9

acute pain

Answer 9

nociceptive, “normal”
useful as an acute warning system

Question 10

chronic pain

Answer 10

pathological pain
debilitating and without biological value

Question 11

pain is NOT generated by a hardwired system, but results from the activity of highly ________ molecules and circuits

Answer 11

plastic

Question 12

acute pain list

Answer 12

• comes on suddenly
• caused by something specifc
• sharp
• doesn’t last more than a few weeks
• can be treated with OTC meds
• causes like burns, cuts, childbirth
• survival mechanism, protective

Question 13

chronic pain list

Answer 13

• more than 3 months
• no biologic value
• persists past normal tissue healing

Question 14

alterations of the pain pathway causes ___________, such that acute pain outlives its usefulness as a warning system and instead becomes chronic and debilitating

Answer 14

hypersensitivity

Question 15

short term sensitization

Answer 15

starts as part of the normal healing process: tissue or nerve damage cause hyperactivity of nociceptors to promote “guarding” of the area

Question 16

long term sensitization

Answer 16

short term sensitization fails to resolve

Question 17

mechanisms of long term sensitization

Answer 17

• increased excitability of nociceptors
• changes in gene expression
• activation of second messenger cascades
  (they all rewire the nervous system)

Question 18

hyperalgesia

Answer 18

heightened sense of pain to noxious stimuli

Question 19

allodynia

Answer 19

pain resulting from normally not painful stimuli

Question 20

the 4 processes of the pain pathway

Answer 20

1 - transduction
2 - transmission
3 - perception
4 - modulation

Question 21

____________ is the net result of excitatory and inhibitory neuronal activity

Answer 21

pain sensation

Question 22

nociceptors are ________ of the primary afferent nerve fiber

Answer 22

free nerve endings

Question 23

mechanical receptors

Answer 23

high threshold mechanoreceptors

Question 24

thermal receptors

Answer 24

temp greater than 45C or less than 5C

Question 25

polymodal nociceptors

Answer 25

respond to mechanical, thermal, and chemical energy that causes tissue damage

Question 26

nociceptors _____ noxious sensory info into the language of the nervous system: electrical current

Answer 26

transduce (convert)

Question 27

A-delta fibers

Answer 27

- high threshold of sensitivity - free nerve endings are mechanoreceptors and thermoreceptors - myelinated fibers - 5-30 m/sex - transmit first/transient pain information - localized, sharp, stinging, pricking - tolerance is uniform from person to person

Question 28

first pain is carried by...

Answer 28

A-delta fibers

Question 29

C fibers

Answer 29

- low threshold of sensitivity - free nerve endings are polymodal - unmyelinated fibers - slow transmission - transmit second and persistent pain info (chronic pain) - diffuse, burning, aching - tolerance varies from person to person

Question 30

second pain is...

Answer 30

poorly localized slow pain

Question 31

chemical mediators of pain are called...

Answer 31

inflammatory soup

Question 32

composition of inflammatory soup

Answer 32

- tissue mediators released by damaged tissue and immune cells - INFLAMMATORY PAIN - Neurotransmitters