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Nociception01:44

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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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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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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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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.
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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...
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Measuring Changes in Tactile Sensitivity in the Hind Paw of Mice Using an Electronic von Frey Apparatus
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Persistent nociceptor hyperactivity as a painful evolutionary adaptation.

Edgar T Walters1, Robyn J Crook2, G Gregory Neely3

  • 1Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA.

Trends in Neurosciences
|January 7, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Neuropathic pain and sensory neuron hyperactivity may not always be maladaptive. Evolutionary evidence suggests this persistent nociceptor hyperactivity can be a survival mechanism after injury.

Keywords:
Aplysiacephalopodchronic painhumanprimary afferent neuronspontaneous activity

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Pain Research

Background:

  • Neuropathic pain is often linked to persistent electrical hyperactivity in sensory neurons (nociceptors).
  • This hyperactivity is typically considered maladaptive, persisting after tissue healing and inflammation resolution.
  • However, evidence challenges the universal maladaptive assumption of neuropathic pain and nociceptor hyperactivity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review evidence challenging the assumption that neuropathic pain and persistent nociceptor hyperactivity are always maladaptive.
  • To explore the evolutionary perspective on persistent nociceptor hyperactivity.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing studies across diverse species, including humans.
  • Analysis of research on the evolutionary selection of physiological responses to injury.

Main Results:

  • Accumulating evidence from various species suggests neuropathic pain and nociceptor hyperactivity are not always maladaptive.
  • Persistent nociceptor hyperactivity shows signs of evolutionary selection in certain animal groups.
  • This hyperactivity may serve as a physiological survival response post-injury.

Conclusions:

  • The assumption of maladaptiveness for neuropathic pain and persistent nociceptor hyperactivity requires re-evaluation.
  • Persistent nociceptor hyperactivity can be an evolutionarily selected trait promoting survival.
  • Understanding the conserved and divergent mechanisms underlying this phenomenon is crucial.