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Related Concept Videos

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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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 28, 2025

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
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Spinal Nociception is Facilitated during Cognitive Distraction.

Mauricio Carlos Henrich1, Ken Steffen Frahm1, Robert C Coghill2

  • 1Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7A, Aalborg East-9220, Aalborg, Denmark.

Neuroscience
|April 5, 2022
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Summary

Distraction significantly amplifies the nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR), a protective response. Attention does not alter the NWR, indicating cognitive processes modulate spinal pain pathways.

Keywords:
attentioncognitivedistractionmodulationnociceptionreflex

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pain Research
  • Somatic Sensory System

Background:

  • The nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR) protects the body from harmful stimuli.
  • Spinal interneurons integrate nociceptive stimulus characteristics, influencing NWR magnitude.
  • Descending cognitive control over spinal pain processing is increasingly recognized.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if attention and distraction modulate spinal spatial integration of nociception via NWR.
  • To test the hypothesis that descending activity shapes spinal receptive fields for nociceptive spatial integration.

Main Methods:

  • Twenty healthy volunteers underwent NWR quantification using electromyography.
  • Stimulation involved single and simultaneous electrical stimuli to the foot sole.
  • NWR responses were measured during baseline, attention, and distraction tasks.

Main Results:

  • Distraction significantly increased NWR magnitude compared to baseline for both single and simultaneous stimuli.
  • Attention did not significantly alter NWR magnitude compared to baseline.
  • NWR modulation by tasks was consistent across proximal and distal lower leg muscles.

Conclusions:

  • Spinal nociceptive withdrawal reflex pathways are modulated by descending cognitive control.
  • Shifting attention away from nociceptive stimuli enhances spinal reflex responses.
  • Cognitive states like distraction influence the processing of spatial nociceptive information in the spinal cord.