Year 1 Key Points

• Key points from first Pain lecture:

  • nociception is the process of detecting and communicating threat to the central nervous system
  • nociceptors are found in most tissues, there are different classes of afferent neurons
  • tissue damage/inflammation activates and sensitises nociceptors leading to afferent input to the CNS
  • that input can be up or down regulated (amplified or supressed) at all levels of the CNS e.g. pain gate
  • nociception and pain are not the same thing
• Key points from first Pain lecture:

  • nociceptive input is relayed to the CNS/brain via ascending tracts - the spinothalamic tract is key
  • the brain processes this in a complex network of area
  • nociception will not inevitably cause pain
  • pain can persists well beyond any clear nociceptive input
  • mood, attention, fear, expectant, distraction can all profoundly change the experience of pain
• Key points from first Pain lecture:

  • as nerves are the pathway of nociceptive info, injury or disease to nerves can cause pain
  • sick nerves demonstrate pathophysiological & structural changes that can alter their function
  • this can lead to abnormal (ectopic) firing and behaviour which can lead to neuropathic pain
  • neuropathic pain is associated with other nerve like symptoms like dysesthesias, paraesthesia, anaesthesia
  • not all nerve injuries will lead to neuropathic pain