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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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Somatosensation01:33

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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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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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The history of therapeutic communication can be traced back to Florence Nightingale, who emphasized the importance of developing trusting relationships with patients. She taught that the presence of nurses with patients results in therapeutic healing.
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Assessment of the Abdomen III: Palpation01:23

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Palpation is a crucial tactile examination method for assessing abdominal organs and detecting conditions like tenderness, distention, masses, or fluid. It involves both light and deep palpation techniques, each serving specific diagnostic purposes. Light palpation helps identify tenderness and other surface-level indicators, while deep palpation locates and assess abdominal masses and organ boundaries. A skilled professional can gather valuable insights through palpation, including evaluating...
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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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Related Experiment Video

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A Protocol of Manual Tests to Measure Sensation and Pain in Humans
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Somatic Awareness and Tender Points in a Community Sample.

Andrew Schrepf1, Daniel E Harper1, David A Williams1

  • 1Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The Journal of Pain
|September 4, 2016
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Summary

Somatic awareness (SA), a heightened sensitivity to physical sensations, strongly correlates with the number of tender points in community samples. Further research is needed to understand how SA influences pain sensitivity distribution.

Keywords:
Somatic awarenessdistresspainpositive affecttender points

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology and Health
  • Pain Research
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Somatic awareness (SA) is defined as increased sensitivity to physical sensations and symptoms.
  • The interplay between SA, affective symptoms, and pain outcomes remains underexplored.
  • Understanding these relationships is crucial for comprehensive pain management strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between somatic awareness (SA) and pain sensitivity.
  • To determine if SA predicts the number of tender points in a community sample.
  • To examine the mediating role of SA in the relationship between general distress and pain sensitivity.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Biomarker study, a large cross-sectional community sample.
  • Employed a validated measure of mood and anxiety symptoms, including SA-related questions.
  • Conducted multivariate negative binomial regression analyses to predict tender point count from SA, general distress, and positive affect.

Main Results:

  • Higher levels of somatic awareness (SA) were significantly associated with an increased number of tender points (P = .02).
  • General distress and positive affect were not directly associated with the number of tender points in the multivariate model.
  • Mediation analyses revealed that SA partially mediated the relationship between general distress and tender points.

Conclusions:

  • Somatic awareness (SA) is a significant predictor of tender point count in the general population.
  • The findings highlight the strong link between heightened sensitivity to bodily sensations and widespread pain sensitivity.
  • Further research should explore the mechanisms connecting SA to the spatial distribution of pain sensitivity.