Pain Flashcards
(111 cards)
What is a pacinian corpuscle
- Cutaneous rapidly adapting receptor in SC skin surrounding unmyelinated nerves
- Unmyelinated nerve ending covered in lamellae
- Touch or pressure deforms the lamellae and a generator potential is created
- Present in skin and fascia
- Large receptive field
- Sensations - vibration and pressure
What is a Meisner corpuscle
attached to A beta (highly myelinated large diamtre) when transmitting non painful perception of light touch through thick highly myelinated fibres –> rapid signals
* Rapidly adapting encapsulated receptor
* Small receptive field
* Low activation threshold
* Skin of fingertips and lips
* Velocity receptor
What is a Merkel disc
n Abeta fibres (highly myelinated large diametre)
* Slowly adapting epithelial cell transducer
* Small receptive field
* Low activation threshold
* Signals continuous touch and location
What is a Ruffini corpuscle
Touch and pressure
SKin deep tissues joint capsules
Slowly adaptign encapsulated
Define pain
Pain is “an unpleasant sensory or emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage”.
Nociception
◦ Nociception - somatosensory response of the nervous system to a potentially harmful stimulus and serves to avoid tissue damage
What % of myelinated and unmyelinated fibres are nociceptors
10% of cutaneous myelinated fibres and 90% of unmyelinated fibres are nociceptive
Hot receptors activate above
43 degrees
Cold receptors activate below
26 degrees
What is the diamtre of a C fibre
<2 mcirom
What type fo receptors as C fibres - what do they sense
POlymodal receptors
heat
Mechanical
Chemical stimuli
What is primary or peripheral hyperalgesia
‣ Stimulated C fibres release pro inflammatory peptides causing plasma extravasating reinforcing mediators suppply —> sensitising the high threshold nocicpetors so they can be activated by low intensity stimuli resulting in peripheral sensitisation at the site of injury (primary hyperalgesia)
Where do C fibres terminate in the SC
Rexed lamina 2
Substantia gelatinosa
What is the diamtre of A delta fibres
2-5micrm
What are the two types of A delta fibres
Type 1 - mechanosensitive only. Well localised
Type 2 - mechanothermal - high threshold thermoreceptors
How does the speed of conduction vary between A delta and C fibres
A delta 5 - 25m/sec
C fibres 2 m/s
Where in the dorsal horn to A delta fibres synpase
‣ Go to laminae 1 and III, IV, V of dorsal horn to synpase with second order interneuon with substance P as the neurotransmitter (3rd order in thalamus)
What are the mechanisms by which pain stimuli are detected and transduced to AP
- Ion channels - TRP family non selective cation channels, sodium channels generally voltage gated, Potassium channels, acid sensing channels
- Metabotropic - bradykinin, opioids, 5HT1B responding to CGRP, bradykinin, prostaglandins (activating), or seratonin or opioids inhibits
What factors released from damaged cells cause activation of nociceptors
ATP
K
H
What inflammatory mediators are released in the surrounding area activating nociceptors
- Monoamines - seratonin from pltelets, histamine form amst cells
- ACh
- Bradykinin
- Cytokines
What factors sensitise rather than stimulate nociceptors
- Eicosanoids - PG and LT
- Neuropeptides - substance P, CGRP, Neurokinin
What is a silent nociceptor
Requires inflammation to actually become active
What are the 2 flaws in nociception
◦ For certain stimuli pain is detected in the absence of tissue damage e.g. small electric shocks
◦ For severe cases of tissue damage e.g. gamma radiation we have no detection of tissue damage
How does a nerve cell increase the surrounding area of sensitivity
◦ Terminal branches release peptides including substance P causing vasodilation and neurogenic oedema with further bradykinin accumulation
‣ Substance P —> release of histamine from local mast cells and seratonin from platelets
* Both sensitise nearby nociceptors