Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026
09:03
Optimizing Photoneuromodulation Techniques to Evaluate the Role of Green Light-Emitting Diodes in Pain Management
Published on: March 28, 2025
1.3K
An introduction to pain pathways and mechanisms
Danielle Reddi1, Natasha Curran, Robert Stephens
1Pain Research Fellow and Speciality Registrar in Anaesthesia, University College London Hospital, London.
British Journal of Hospital Medicine (London, England : 2005)
|December 12, 2013
Summary
Pain serves as a crucial nervous system warning of injury. This sensory and emotional experience is significantly influenced by psychological factors like past experiences and anxiety.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- Pain is a vital warning system for the body, signaling potential or actual injury.
- The experience of pain is complex, involving both sensory and emotional components.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the multifaceted nature of pain perception.
- To investigate the influence of psychological factors on the pain experience.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on pain neurobiology and psychology.
- Analysis of psychological factors impacting pain perception.
Main Results:
- Pain perception is not purely sensory; it is deeply intertwined with emotional and cognitive processes.
- Psychological elements such as past experiences, beliefs, fear, and anxiety demonstrably modulate pain intensity and quality.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the psychological dimensions of pain is essential for comprehensive pain management.
- Interventions targeting psychological factors may offer novel therapeutic avenues for individuals experiencing pain.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:20Pain
2.1K
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...
2.1K
01:25Analgesia and Pain Management
3.3K
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...
3.3K
01:44Nociception
28.4K
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.
28.4K
01:29Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways
9.9K
Somatic sensory or somatosensory pathways refer to the neural pathways that carry information related to touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and proprioception from the skin, muscles, tendons, and joints to the brain. These pathways involve several stages of processing and integration of sensory information.
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...
9.9K
01:28Major Somatic Sensory Pathways
3.2K
Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the...
3.2K
01:29Blood and Nerve Supply to the Bones
15.4K
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...
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...
15.4K