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Related Concept Videos

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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Nociception01:44

Nociception

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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.
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Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways01:29

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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.
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Sensory Functions of the Skin01:16

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The skin is the largest organ of the human body and plays a crucial role in our sensory perception. It contains a vast network of sensory receptors that contribute to the skin's protective function by perceiving physical, biological, and environmental cues and generating relevant responses.
There are two main categories of receptors on the skin: capsulated and non-capsulated. The non-capsulated ones are mainly the pain receptors. The capsulated ones can be further categorized based on the...
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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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Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway01:20

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Humans detect odors with the help of specialized cells located in the upper part of the nasal cavity, called olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). ORNs possess hair-like structures called cilia, which are receptive to sensations from the inhaled air. When an odorant molecule binds to a specific receptor on the cell of the cilia, it leads to a series of events that ultimately cause the ORN to send electrical signals to the olfactory bulb in the brain through the olfactory nerves.
The olfactory...
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Recording Network Activity in Spinal Nociceptive Circuits Using Microelectrode Arrays
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Neurophysiology and itch pathways.

Martin Schmelz1

  • 1Faculty of Medicine Mannheim, Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer Ufer 1-3, 68167, Mannheim, Germany, martin.schmelz@medma.uni-heidelberg.de.

Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology
|April 12, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The study explores distinct neurophysiological pathways for itch and pain. While specific itch pathways exist, pain pathways can also trigger itch, impacting chronic itch treatment strategies.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Dermatology
  • Sensory Physiology

Background:

  • The sensation of itch is distinct from pain, suggesting specialized neurophysiological pathways.
  • Research has identified specific pathways for histamine-induced itch and various non-histaminergic itch pathways in rodents.
  • Numerous molecular markers and mediators are associated with itch processing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neurophysiological basis of itch sensation.
  • To reconcile the concept of itch-specific pathways with observations of pain pathway involvement in itch.
  • To evaluate the implications of these concepts for chronic itch treatment strategies.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on itch and pain neurophysiology.
  • Analysis of animal and human studies on neuronal pathways.
  • Conceptual integration of specificity and pattern theories of itch.

Main Results:

  • Evidence supports distinct neuronal pathways for itch and pain, including specific itch pathways.
  • Itch can also be induced by the activation of pain pathways, particularly with localized stimuli.
  • This challenges a purely dichotomous view of itch and pain signaling.

Conclusions:

  • The neurophysiological concept of itch is more complex than initially thought, involving both itch-specific and pain-related pathways.
  • Understanding these overlapping pathways is crucial for developing effective therapeutic targets for chronic itch conditions.
  • Future strategies may need to address both itch-specific and general nociceptive pathways.