Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Nociception01:44

Nociception

32.5K
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.
32.5K
Local Anesthetics: Differential Sensitivity of Nerve Fibers01:24

Local Anesthetics: Differential Sensitivity of Nerve Fibers

1.2K
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...
1.2K
Somatic Spinal Reflexes01:22

Somatic Spinal Reflexes

3.9K
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...
3.9K
Thermosensation01:43

Thermosensation

33.3K
Peripheral thermosensation is the perception of external temperature. A change in temperature (on the surface of the skin and other tissues) is detected by a family of temperature-sensitive ion channels called Transient Receptor Potential, or TRP, receptors. These receptors are located on free nerve endings. Those detecting cold temperatures are closer to the surface of the skin than the nerve endings detecting warmth. These thermoTRP channels, while temperature selective, have relatively...
33.3K
Analgesia and Pain Management01:25

Analgesia and Pain Management

1.2K
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...
1.2K
Local Anesthetics: Adverse Effects01:12

Local Anesthetics: Adverse Effects

641
While local anesthetics are generally safe and well-tolerated, they can occasionally cause adverse effects that vary in severity. Local anesthetics can induce toxicity at two distinct levels. They can either produce local effects through direct contact with the neural elements or be absorbed into the bloodstream from the injection site, leading to systemic effects.
Once absorbed into the systemic circulation, local anesthetics can affect the organs that depend on the functioning of sodium...
641

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The Impact of Pain Coping Strategies on Chronic Pain Among Native Americans.

Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities·2026
Same author

Directional discrimination in the nociceptive system is enhanced for non-continuous lines.

Scandinavian journal of pain·2026
Same author

Assessing the impact of social support and social isolation on pain intensity and pain interference among Native Americans with chronic pain.

Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association·2025
Same author

Perceptual Learning Can Improve Nociceptive Directional Discrimination.

The European journal of neuroscience·2025
Same author

A nociceptor excitability test for identifying alterations of the Nav1.7 channels in humans.

Pain·2025
Same author

Modulation of Spinal Nociceptive Excitability by Nociceptive-Visual Interaction.

European journal of pain (London, England)·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 1, 2025

Objective Nociceptive Assessment in Ventilated ICU Patients: A Feasibility Study Using Pupillometry and the Nociceptive Flexion Reflex
06:04

Objective Nociceptive Assessment in Ventilated ICU Patients: A Feasibility Study Using Pupillometry and the Nociceptive Flexion Reflex

Published on: July 4, 2018

9.1K

Does Threat Enlarge Nociceptive Reflex Receptive Fields?

Edward W Lannon1, Fabricio A Jure2, Ole Kæseler Andersen2

  • 1Department of Psychology, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK; Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), Aalborg University, Aalborg Ø, Denmark.

The Journal of Pain
|November 9, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Threat significantly increases pain perception and enlarges reflex receptive fields (RRFs) of the nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR). This suggests threat enhances spinal nociceptive sensitivity through top-down modulation of protective reflexes.

Keywords:
Painanxietynociceptionreflex receptive fieldsspinal nociception

More Related Videos

Chronic Constriction of the Sciatic Nerve and Pain Hypersensitivity Testing in Rats
08:23

Chronic Constriction of the Sciatic Nerve and Pain Hypersensitivity Testing in Rats

Published on: March 13, 2012

60.1K
Author Spotlight: Exploring Peripheral Mechanisms of Neuropathic Pain in Trigeminal Nerve Injury
04:39

Author Spotlight: Exploring Peripheral Mechanisms of Neuropathic Pain in Trigeminal Nerve Injury

Published on: February 9, 2024

2.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 1, 2025

Objective Nociceptive Assessment in Ventilated ICU Patients: A Feasibility Study Using Pupillometry and the Nociceptive Flexion Reflex
06:04

Objective Nociceptive Assessment in Ventilated ICU Patients: A Feasibility Study Using Pupillometry and the Nociceptive Flexion Reflex

Published on: July 4, 2018

9.1K
Chronic Constriction of the Sciatic Nerve and Pain Hypersensitivity Testing in Rats
08:23

Chronic Constriction of the Sciatic Nerve and Pain Hypersensitivity Testing in Rats

Published on: March 13, 2012

60.1K
Author Spotlight: Exploring Peripheral Mechanisms of Neuropathic Pain in Trigeminal Nerve Injury
04:39

Author Spotlight: Exploring Peripheral Mechanisms of Neuropathic Pain in Trigeminal Nerve Injury

Published on: February 9, 2024

2.9K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pain Research
  • Psychophysiology

Background:

  • Threat enhances survival by modulating pain responses.
  • Spinal nociception, assessed via reflex receptive fields (RRFs) of the nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR), can be modulated by top-down control.
  • Enlarged RRFs indicate increased spinal nociception.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between threat and RRFs.
  • To determine if threat modulates spinal nociceptive processing via RRFs.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed RRFs and pain perception in 25 healthy individuals.
  • Measured NWRs using electromyography of the tibialis anterior.
  • Compared RRFs and pain during threat (unpredictable painful stimuli) and non-threat periods.

Main Results:

  • Threat periods resulted in significantly higher pain ratings.
  • Larger nociceptive RRFs were observed during threat.
  • NWR magnitudes were also amplified under threat conditions.

Conclusions:

  • Threat enhances pain perception and spinal nociceptive sensitivity.
  • Threat leads to enlargement of RRFs, indicating modulation of protective reflexes.
  • Top-down circuitry likely enhances dorsal horn nociceptive neurons, amplifying pain signals.