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Related Concept Videos

Nociception01:44

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...
Working Memory01:24

Working Memory

Working memory refers to a combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow an individual to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks. It is an essential cognitive function that enables the execution of complex tasks such as problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Unlike short-term memory, which simply involves the storage of information for a brief period, working memory involves the active manipulation and processing of this information.
Pain01:20

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...
Analgesia and Pain Management01:25

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 31, 2026

Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control
09:37

Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control

Published on: July 5, 2015

Controlling attention to nociceptive stimuli with working memory.

Valéry Legrain1, Geert Crombez, André Mouraux

  • 1Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. valery.legrain@ugent.be

Plos One
|June 21, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Working memory can control attention by reducing distraction from pain. Actively rehearsing information in working memory prevents nociceptive stimuli from capturing attention, shielding cognitive processes from pain.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Pain Perception
  • Attention Control

Background:

  • Nociception (pain signals) can involuntarily capture attention, prioritizing it over other sensory inputs.
  • The degree of attentional capture by nociception may depend on the cognitive demands of concurrent activities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of working memory in controlling attentional capture by nociceptive stimuli.
  • To determine if working memory engagement can mitigate nociceptive distraction.

Main Methods:

  • Participants performed visual discrimination and matching tasks.
  • Tactile distracters were occasionally replaced by nociceptive stimuli to assess distraction.
  • Tasks varied in working memory load to differentiate its role from general resource demands.

Main Results:

  • Novel nociceptive stimuli increased reaction times in control conditions (low working memory load), indicating attentional capture.
  • When working memory was actively engaged (high load), nociceptive stimuli did not lengthen reaction times, showing reduced distraction.
  • This effect was independent of overall task difficulty.

Conclusions:

  • Engaging working memory with task-relevant information can reduce the involuntary attentional capture by nociception.
  • Maintaining active cognitive goals and excluding pain-related information from task settings enhances attention control over pain.