Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Discovery of the anterolateral system and its role as a pain pathway
- 2 Organization of the central pain pathways
- 3 Physiology of cells of origin of spinal cord and brainstem projections
- 4 Physiology of supraspinal pain-related structures
- 5 Functional brain imaging of acute pain in healthy humans
- 6 Pain modulatory systems
- 7 Peripheral and central mechanisms and manifestations of chronic pain and sensitization
- 8 Functional imaging of chronic pain
- 9 Functional implications of spinal and forebrain procedures for the treatment of chronic pain
- Index
- References
4 - Physiology of supraspinal pain-related structures
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 October 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Discovery of the anterolateral system and its role as a pain pathway
- 2 Organization of the central pain pathways
- 3 Physiology of cells of origin of spinal cord and brainstem projections
- 4 Physiology of supraspinal pain-related structures
- 5 Functional brain imaging of acute pain in healthy humans
- 6 Pain modulatory systems
- 7 Peripheral and central mechanisms and manifestations of chronic pain and sensitization
- 8 Functional imaging of chronic pain
- 9 Functional implications of spinal and forebrain procedures for the treatment of chronic pain
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction
It is well understood that there are different components to the sensation of pain (Melzack and Casey,1968). The sensory-discriminative aspect of pain refers to the location, intensity and quality of the sensory experience of pain. The affective-motivational aspect of pain refers to the unpleasantness of the pain and how likely it is that it will motivate the animal to escape the pain. We refer to these different components of the pain sensation throughout this review as we examine the possibility that these different components are mediated by different structures in the brain.
The spinothalamic tract (STT) is the spinal tract projecting toward the brain which is most often associated with the sensation of pain (Price and Dubner, 1977; Willis, 1985; Price et al., 2003). Cells of origin of the STT can be divided into those which respond to low-threshold stimuli (LT cells), those which respond to stimuli across the intensive continuum into the noxious range (wide dynamic range, WDR), and those that respond only to noxious stimuli (nociceptive specific, NS). Evidence that any structure mediates the sensory aspect of pain is grouped into four lines: that the structure is connected to other structures known to demonstrate pain-related activity; that neural elements in that structure respond to noxious stimuli; that stimulation of that structure produces pain; and that interventions which interfere with the function of that structure interfere with the sensation of pain evoked by noxious stimuli (Price and Dubner, 1977).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Human Pain SystemExperimental and Clinical Perspectives, pp. 237 - 328Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010