Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Nociception

Nociception

Nociception—the ability to feel pain—is essential for an organism’s survival and overall well-being. Noxious stimuli such as piercing pain from a sharp object, heat from an open flame, or contact with corrosive chemicals are first detected by sensory receptors, called nociceptors, located on nerve endings. Nociceptors express ion channels that convert noxious stimuli into electrical signals. When these signals reach the brain via sensory neurons, they are perceived as pain. Thus, pain helps the...

Analgesia and Pain Management

Analgesia and Pain Management

Pain is critical to various clinical pathologies, provoking an urgent need for effective management. Pain, whether acute or chronic, is a complex neurochemical process. Its alleviation depends on the type, with nonopioid analgesics effective for mild to moderate pain, such as musculoskeletal or inflammatory pain, while neuropathic pain responds best to anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, or serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. For severe acute or chronic pain, opioids may be...

Pain

Pain

Pain serves as a critical warning signal that alerts the body to potential or actual harm. When mechanical pressure on the skin is intense, such as from a sharp pinch, the sensation transitions from touch to pain. Similarly, extreme temperatures, like a hot pot handle, convert the sensation of heat into pain. Pain can also result from overstimulation of other senses, such as blinding light, loud noise, or the intense heat from habañero peppers. This ability to sense pain is essential for...

Blood and Nerve Supply to the Bones

Blood and Nerve Supply to the Bones

Bones are dynamic organs that require a rich supply of oxygen and nutrients. Around 5% to 10% of the cardiac output supplies blood to the bones. A typical long bone has three main sources: the nutrient artery, the metaphyseal and epiphyseal arteries, and the periosteal arteries.
Nutrient Artery
The nutrient artery is the main blood vessel that enters the diaphysis via the nutrient foramen. While most long bones have only one nutrient foramen, large bones, such as the femur, may have two. This...

Pathophysiology of Peptic Ulcer Disease: Injurious Factors

Pathophysiology of Peptic Ulcer Disease: Injurious Factors

Peptic ulcers are sores on the stomach's inner lining and the upper small intestine, which are the result of disruptions in the mucosal layer that houses parietal cells which produce gastric acid, and chief cells which secrete pepsinogen.
In the antrum region, G cells secrete the gastrin hormone that binds to gastrin-cholecystokinin-B (CCK2) receptors on parietal and enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells in the fundic glands. Simultaneously, the vagus nerve releases acetylcholine, which binds to M3...

Degenerative Disc Disease ll: Pathophysiology

Degenerative Disc Disease ll: Pathophysiology

The symptoms of degenerative disc disease arise from a combination of mechanical compression, vascular compromise, and biochemical inflammation, which together disrupt nerve function and produce pain.Mechanical CompressionDisc degeneration reduces height and elasticity, predisposing to herniation of the nucleus pulposus, a major cause of radicular pain. Herniations may be protrusion (bulging with intact annulus), extrusion (nucleus extends beyond disc but remains connected), or sequestration...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Impact of chronic pain on the families of U.S. adults.

Pain reports·2026

Same author

Multilevel Work Environment Factors and Occupational Well-Being Among APRNs Delivering Opioid Use Disorder Treatment: A Multistate Cross-Sectional Study.

Substance use : research and treatment·2026

Same author

Barettin Suppresses Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Proliferation via Topoisomerase IIα Inhibition.

Marine drugs·2026

Same author

Temporal multi-omic exploration of the ventral tegmental area in chronic pain and passive coping behaviors.

iScience·2026

Same author

Postoperative multimodal pain management: a narrative review of current practices, clinical and educational gaps, and future directions.

Frontiers in anesthesiology·2026

Same author

Evaluation of Dronabinol to Decrease Opioid Use for Cancer-Induced Bone Pain.

The oncologist·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Chronic Post-Ischemia Pain Model for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type-I in Rats

Chronic Post-Ischemia Pain Model for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type-I in Rats

Published on: January 21, 2020

Pathophysiology of pain.

Todd W Vanderah¹

¹Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, College of Medicine, 1501 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA. vanderah@u.arizona.edu

The Medical Clinics of North America

|December 14, 2006

Summary

Chronic pain involves complex nerve signaling loops. Disrupting these pain pathways, particularly neuroplastic changes over time, may effectively treat neuropathic pain without affecting normal sensation.

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Pain Research
Neurology

Background:

Pain processing involves peripheral nerves, spinal dorsal horn interactions, and supraspinal circuits.
The pain system exhibits neuroplasticity, forming pronociceptive feedback loops with prolonged nociceptive input.
These adaptations can maintain sensitized pain states, leading to neuropathic pain.

Purpose of the Study:

To understand the ascending and descending pain facilitatory circuits.
To identify potential therapeutic targets within these pain pathways.
To design therapies that disrupt chronic pain maintenance without interfering with normal sensory processing.

Main Methods:

Analysis of the neural circuitry involved in pain signal transmission.
Investigation of neuroplastic changes in response to sustained nociceptive input.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Chronic Post-Ischemia Pain Model for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type-I in Rats

Chronic Post-Ischemia Pain Model for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type-I in Rats

Published on: January 21, 2020

Conceptualization of therapeutic strategies targeting pain facilitatory loops.

Main Results:

Pain processing involves a complex loop from the spinal cord to supraspinal structures.
Extended nociceptive input induces neuroplasticity, creating a pronociceptive feedback loop.
Disrupting nodes within this loop can diminish or abolish neuropathic pain.

Conclusions:

Understanding pain facilitatory circuits is crucial for developing effective neuropathic pain treatments.
Targeting specific nodes in the pain loop may offer a rational approach to therapy.
Therapies should aim to disrupt chronic pain maintenance while preserving normal sensory function.