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Related Concept Videos

Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways01:29

Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways

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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...
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Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

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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...
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Sympathetic Activation01:16

Sympathetic Activation

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The sympathetic division can influence tissues and organs by releasing norepinephrine at peripheral synapses and distributing epinephrine and norepinephrine through the bloodstream. In times of crisis or stress, sympathetic activation occurs, which is regulated by sympathetic centers in the hypothalamus. As a result, sympathetic activation prepares the body for physical exertion, rapid ATP production, and heightened alertness, allowing individuals to respond effectively to challenging or...
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Somatic Spinal Reflexes01:22

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Somatic spinal reflexes are rapid, involuntary muscular responses to external stimuli that involve the somatic musculature and the spinal cord.
One of the most well-known somatic spinal reflexes is the stretch reflex, which is activated by the sudden stretching of a muscle. This reflex involves the activation of specialized sensory receptors called muscle spindles, which are located in the muscle tissue and detect changes in the length and speed of muscle contractions. When a muscle is suddenly...
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Somatosensation01:33

Somatosensation

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The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.
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Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System01:11

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The somatosensory system is the central and peripheral nervous system component that senses and processes touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and body position or proprioception. The process of sensation takes place at three levels:
The receptor level:
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Updated: Apr 18, 2026

Chronic Post-Ischemia Pain Model for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type-I in Rats
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The common link between functional somatic syndromes may be central sensitisation.

Julius H Bourke1, Richard M Langford2, Peter D White1

  • 1Centre for Psychiatry, Wolfson Institute for Preventive Medicine, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University London, UK.

Journal of Psychosomatic Research
|January 20, 2015
PubMed
Summary

Central sensitisation may explain symptoms in functional somatic syndromes. This neurophysiological process could also explain why these disabling conditions cluster together, offering new treatment avenues.

Keywords:
Central sensitisationChronic painFunctional somatic syndromesNeurophysiologyPathophysiology

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Medical Research

Background:

  • Functional somatic syndromes are common, disabling conditions characterized by chronic pain.
  • These syndromes may be linked to central nervous system sensitisation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore central sensitisation as a physiological basis for functional somatic syndromes.
  • To review the current literature on central sensitisation and physiological studies in these syndromes.

Main Methods:

  • A narrative review of existing scientific literature.
  • Analysis of physiological studies related to functional somatic syndromes and central sensitisation.

Main Results:

  • Central sensitisation may underlie both painful and non-painful symptoms in functional somatic syndromes.
  • It may also represent an endophenotypic vulnerability, explaining the clustering of these syndromes.

Conclusions:

  • Further research, including prospective studies and standardized methods, is needed to confirm these findings.
  • Verifying central sensitisation's role may lead to novel treatment strategies and improved patient explanations.