What is Pain?AnswerAdaptive and protective mechanism; among physical, cognitive, spiritual,
emotional, and environmental factors.
Associated with actual or potential tissue damage.
What is pain transduction?Answerconverting pain stimulus to electrical signal transmitted to the central
nervous system.
What happens in pain transduction?Answer1. nociceptors activates due to physical, chemical, and
thermal changes.
2. causing ion channels (sodium, calcium, and potassium) to open on nociceptors.
3. creating electrical impulses that travels through axons of 2 primary nociceptors where it is
transmitted to the spinal cord, cortex, thalamus, and brainstem.
What is pain transmission?Answerconduction of pain impulses along alpha and c fibres into the dorsal
horn of the spinal cord.
What happens in pain transmission?Answer1. forms synapses with excitatory and inhibitory
interneurons in the substantia gelatinosa of the dorsal horn.
2. forms synapses with projecting neurons across the midline of the spinal cord, where it ascends to the
brain through 2 spinothalamic tracts.
3. carries fast and slow impulses and is connected to reticular formation, hypothalamus, thalamus, and
the limbic system.
,4. impulses are then projected to the somatosensory cortex for interpretation, location, and intensity of
pain.
What is pain perception?Answerconscious awareness of pain.
Where does pain perception occur primarily?Answercerebral cortex, limbic system, and reticular
formation.
What is pain perception influenced by?Answergenes, culture, sex, age, health, and past pain
experiences.
What are the 3 systems that produces pain perception?Answer1. sensory-discriminatory system
2. affective-motivational system
3. cognitive-evaluative system
What is the sensory-discriminatory system?Answerdetermines the identity, presence, character,
location, and intensity of pain; mediated by the somatosensory cortex.
What is the affective-motivational system?Answerdetermines the individual's avoidance behaviour of
pain as well as their emotional response; mediated by the limbic system, reticular formation, and the
brainstem.
What is the cognitive-evaluative system?Answerdetermines the learned behaviour and past experiences
of pain, as well as the modulation of perception; mediated by the cerebral cortex.
What are Alpha-delta fibres?Answerlarge myelinated fibres that transmits fast and sharp pain that is
highly localized such as a pin prick.
What are Alpha-beta fibres?Answerlarge myelinated fibres that is associated with sensation, vibration,
and touch.
, What are C-fibres?Answershort unmyelinated fibres that are the most abundant in numbers that
transmits slow dull pain that is poorly localized.
What is the neospinothalamic pathway?Answerfast pain pathway that is highly localized.
What is the paleospinothalamic pathway?Answerslow dull pain pathway that is poorly localized; often
associated with chronic and persistent pain.
What are endogenous opioids?Answermorphine-like neuropeptides that inhibits transmission of pain
impulses, by binding to specific opioid receptors and neurons.
What are enkephalins?Answermost prevalent of natural opioids that binds to opioid receptors.
What are endorphins?Answerproduced in the brain that provides exhilaration and pain relief.
What are dynorphins?Answerbinds strongly with kappa receptors to impede pain signals.
What are endomorphins?Answerbinds strongly with mu receptors and have potent analgesic effects.
What are nociceptins/orphanins FQ?Answernatural opioids that do not interact with opioid receptors
that are widely distributed in the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system.
What are endocannabinoids?Answernatural opioids that are synthesized in phospholipids and are
eicosanoids, where they inhibit ion changes by preventing excitatory neurotransmitters.
What endogenous opioids are responsible for the modulation of many physiological processes of the
body?Answerendocannabinoids
What is segmental pain inhibition?Answerwhen Alpha-beta fibres are stimulated and are on the same
spinal level or segment as Alpha-delta and C-fibres transmission of pain, where they inhibit interneurons
to decrease pain transmission.