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Related Concept Videos

Pain01:20

Pain

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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...
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Analgesia and Pain Management01:25

Analgesia and Pain Management

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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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Primary Motives: Sleep, Sex, and Pain Avoidance01:24

Primary Motives: Sleep, Sex, and Pain Avoidance

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Primary motives such as sleep, sex, and pain avoidance are crucial drivers of behavior in humans and animals. These motives ensure survival, reproductive success, and overall well-being by prompting actions that meet essential bodily needs.
Sleep is a fundamental physiological drive that fosters a state of restfulness crucial for several bodily functions. It facilitates body restoration, the process by which the body repairs, rejuvenates, and maintains itself during sleep, including memory...
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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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Local Anesthetics: Differential Sensitivity of Nerve Fibers01:24

Local Anesthetics: Differential Sensitivity of Nerve Fibers

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Local anesthetics (LAs) block the sodium channels of nerve trunks, sensory nerve endings, and neuromuscular junctions. Although LAs can block all kinds of nerves, the sensitivity of nerve fibers differs according to nerve types and structures. LAs are known to block myelinated fibers faster than unmyelinated ones. Also, they block pain or sensory neurons at low concentrations without affecting the motor neurons involved in muscle contractions. This helps relieve labor pain without affecting the...
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Panic Disorder01:27

Panic Disorder

1.0K
Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent and sudden minutes-long episodes of intense fear, known as panic attacks. These attacks may feel like heart attacks and often happen without warning or a specific cause. They can include symptoms such as rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, chest pain, trembling, sweating, dizziness, and a sense of helplessness. During a panic attack, individuals may feel as though they are experiencing a heart attack or are in a...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 17, 2026

Assessment of Morphine-induced Hyperalgesia and Analgesic Tolerance in Mice Using Thermal and Mechanical Nociceptive Modalities
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Sex Differences in Pain.

Robert E Sorge1, Stacie K Totsch1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.

Journal of Neuroscience Research
|July 26, 2016
PubMed
Summary

Biological sex differences in immune system function explain why females experience chronic pain more often than males. Males use spinal cord microglia, while females use T cells, impacting pain perception and treatment strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimmunology
  • Pain research
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Females experience chronic pain at higher rates than males.
  • While psychosocial factors contribute, biological sex differences in immune system function are likely key.
  • Understanding these differences is crucial for effective pain management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current literature on sex-based differences in innate and adaptive immune system function related to pain.
  • To explore the biological mechanisms underlying sex disparities in chronic pain.
  • To inform the development of sex-tailored pain treatments.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing scientific literature on sex differences in immune responses and pain.
  • Analysis of findings from rodent models investigating immune cell involvement in pain mediation.
Keywords:
T cellsimmunitymicrogliapainsex

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  • Examination of cellular and hormonal differences between sexes.

    • Main Results:

    • Rodent studies show males utilize spinal cord microglia for pain, while females preferentially use T cells.
    • Observed differences are linked to distinct cell populations, hormonal suppression, and cellular responses.
    • These sex-specific immune mechanisms are conserved in human cellular responses.

    Conclusions:

    • Biological sex differences in immune system functioning significantly contribute to chronic pain disparities.
    • Specific immune pathways (microglia in males, T cells in females) mediate pain differently.
    • Recognizing these physiological differences is essential for developing targeted and effective pain therapies.