Neurophysiology of Pain Pathways and Non-opioid analgesics Flashcards
(165 cards)
What is Pain?
Unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated w/ actual or potential tissue damage.
What are the two basic types of pain?
- Nociceptive
2. Neuropathic
What is Nociceptive pain and what kinds are there?
Transduction of noxious stimuli, irrespective of cognitive awareness.
- Somatic (cutaneous or deep tissue)
- Visceral (internal organs)
What is Neuropathic pain?
- Caused by a primary lesion or dysfunction in the nervous system.
What kinds of nerve fibers mediate itch and pain?
BOTH by thin, unmyelinated nerve fibers from the skin but mediated by different mechanisms.
What is an itch?
- Unpleasant sensation that elicits the desire or reflex to scratch.
What is an itch induced by:
- Pruritogens
What are examples of pruritogens?
- Histamine
- Environmental chemicals
- Drugs
What was an itch considered as long ago?
- a sub-modality of pain.
What is MrgprA3?
- Member of the family of Mas-related G protein-coupled receptors.
- Shown to mediated itch.
What are Acute pain examples?
- HA & Migraine
2. From minor injuries, labor, dysmenorrhea, kidney stones.
What is Fibromyalgia?
CNS pain state, that might be accompanied by peripheral pain states.
- Osteoarthritis
- RA
- Lupus
Stimuli that initiate chronic pain also provoke what?
- Inflammatory and immune responses.
What are examples of neuroimmune pain mediatiors?
- TNF-alpha
2. IL-1beta
What to neuroimmune pain mediators act on?
- Peripheral nociceptive nerve terminals
- promote abnormal discharge and hyperexcitability. - Peripheral nerves
- Produce neuropathic hyperalgesia.
- Allodynia
What is neuropathic hyperalgesia?
- Exaggerated response to a painful stimulus.
What is allodynia?
- Pain from a stimulus that does not normally cause pain.
- light touch or temp variation.
What kinds of cells also release neuroimmune mediators?
- Cancer cells.
What is central synaptic sensitization?
Spinal cord neurons become more responsive to nociceptive input due to persistent firing, changes in descending controls.
What does central synaptic sensitization do?
- Enhances efficacy of nociceptive transmission through the spinal cord dorsal horn and perception of spontaneous and breakthrough pain.
Where is the site of nociception (noxious stimulus)?
1.
What is the anterolateral spinothalamic pathway?
Neurons snapse IN the dorsal horn then cross and ascend to the brain.
What are 3 important aspects of pain inhibition?
- Site of drug action.
- Timing
- Nature of pain.
What is more effective pre-emptive analgesia or after sensitization develops?
Pre-emptive (b/c of timing aspect)