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Central pain control
Bernard Calvino1, Rose Marie Grilo
1Neurobiology Laboratory, CNRS UMR 7637, ESPCI, Paris, France. bernard.calvino@espci.fr
Joint Bone Spine
|June 1, 2005
Summary
Understanding pain involves exploring central pain control mechanisms, including spinal and supraspinal pathways. This review details the complex neurophysiology of pain and its modulation, highlighting systems beyond basic nociception.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pain Physiology
- Psychology
Background:
- Pain is a complex, subjective sensation originating in central nervous system neuron networks.
- Pain intensity is modulated by stimulus characteristics, patient factors, and environmental context.
- Central pain control mechanisms involve spinal and supraspinal pathways, including diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNICs).
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide foundational knowledge of pain physiology and central pain control mechanisms.
- To review the neurophysiological and psychological underpinnings of pain's affective dimension.
- To illustrate the complexity of pain modulation using phantom pain as a case study.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of anatomic and physiological components of pain.
- Analysis of spinal segmental, supraspinal, and diffuse noxious inhibitory controls.
- Examination of psychological and neurophysiological mechanisms of pain.
Main Results:
- Detailed description of neural pathways involved in pain processing and modulation.
- Explanation of how stimulus, patient, and setting influence pain perception.
- Identification of psychological and neurophysiological factors contributing to pain's affective dimension.
Conclusions:
- Central pain control is intricate, involving multiple interacting systems.
- Phantom pain demonstrates the involvement of systems beyond nociception, such as the motor cortex.
- Human pain and its control represent an extremely complex physiological phenomenon.