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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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Long-range Channelrhodopsin-assisted Circuit Mapping of Inferior Colliculus Neurons with Blue and Red-shifted Channelrhodopsins

Long-range Channelrhodopsin-assisted Circuit Mapping of Inferior Colliculus Neurons with Blue and Red-shifted Channelrhodopsins

Published on: February 7, 2020

Superior colliculus cells respond to noxious stimuli.

B E Stein¹, J P Dixon

¹Department of Physiology, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, Va 23298, USA.

|February 26, 2011

Summary

Specialized cells in the hamster superior colliculus respond to painful stimuli. Analgesic drugs blocked these pain responses, providing physiological evidence for the superior colliculus

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Pain research
Neurophysiology

Background:

The superior colliculus (SC) plays a role in sensory processing and motor control.
The specific role of SC neurons in pain perception remains incompletely understood.
Investigating SC neuronal responses to noxious stimuli is crucial for understanding pain pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of neurons in the hamster superior colliculus in processing noxious stimuli.
To determine the effects of analgesic and antagonist drugs on these neuronal responses.

Main Methods:

Neuronal recordings were performed in all layers of the hamster superior colliculus.
Selective activation of specific neuronal populations by noxious stimuli was assessed.

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Manufacturing and Using Piggy-back Multibarrel Electrodes for In vivo Pharmacological Manipulations of Neural Responses

Published on: January 18, 2013

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Last Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Long-range Channelrhodopsin-assisted Circuit Mapping of Inferior Colliculus Neurons with Blue and Red-shifted Channelrhodopsins

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Measurement & Analysis of the Temporal Discrimination Threshold Applied to Cervical Dystonia

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Manufacturing and Using Piggy-back Multibarrel Electrodes for In vivo Pharmacological Manipulations of Neural Responses

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Published on: January 18, 2013

The effects of etorphine (analgesic) and naloxone (narcotic antagonist) on neuronal responses were evaluated.

Main Results:

Specialized neurons in the intermediate and deeper layers of the SC were identified.
These neurons showed preferential or exclusive activation by noxious stimuli.
Etorphine administration blocked these responses, while naloxone reinstated them.
Neither drug affected responses to innocuous stimuli.

Conclusions:

The findings provide direct physiological evidence for the involvement of superior colliculus neurons in pain processing.
This study highlights the SC as a potential target for pain modulation therapies.