Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026

11:28
Recording Network Activity in Spinal Nociceptive Circuits Using Microelectrode Arrays
Published on: February 9, 2022
Are there separate central nervous system pathways for touch and pain?
1Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee 32306-1051, USA.
Nature Medicine
|August 1, 1995
Summary
The dorsal column nuclei (DCN) pathway, previously thought to be only for touch, also processes pain signals. This suggests touch and pain pathways cooperate, not operate separately, for better health research.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sensory Physiology
Background:
- The dorsal column nuclei (DCN) and spinal dorsal horn are key relay stations for sensory information.
- The DCN pathway is traditionally viewed as a distinct 'touch pathway', separate from spinal pain pathways.
- DCN neurons typically respond to gentle tactile stimuli from small skin areas.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the response properties of DCN neurons to various stimuli.
- To determine if DCN neurons are involved in processing pain information.
- To re-evaluate the functional relationship between touch and pain pathways in the central nervous system.
Main Methods:
- Electrophysiological recordings from DCN neurons in response to stimulation.
- Stimulation of visceral organs and widespread skin regions with gentle and noxious stimuli.
- Integration of experimental findings with existing clinical and experimental data.
Main Results:
- DCN neurons were found to respond to gentle and noxious stimulation of viscera.
- DCN neurons also responded to tactile stimulation of widespread skin regions.
- Evidence suggests DCN neurons are not exclusively involved in touch processing.
Conclusions:
- The DCN and spinal dorsal horn pathways cooperate in processing both touch and pain sensations.
- The traditional separation of 'touch' and 'pain' pathways may be an oversimplification.
- This integrated view offers new perspectives for healthcare and pain research.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
What is a Sensory System?
Sensory systems detect stimuli—such as light and sound waves—and transduce them into neural signals that can be interpreted by the nervous system. In addition to external stimuli detected by the senses, some sensory systems detect internal stimuli—such as the proprioceptors in muscles and tendons that send feedback about limb position.
Somatosensation
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.
Nociception
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. Thus, pain helps the...
Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways
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...
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways
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 posterior columns...
Pain
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...

