Pain: Understanding and Mechanisms

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary related to the detection, modulation, and perception of pain, providing definitions and explanations of key concepts identified in the lecture notes.

Nociceptors

Pain receptors that detect harmful stimuli and trigger the sensation of pain.

Peripheral Sensitization

Increased sensitivity to pain stimuli typically perceived persistently near the area of injury.

Central Sensitization

Increased pain perception due to normally non-painful stimuli being perceived as painful, often occurring within the central nervous system.

Allodynia

Pain due to a stimulus that does not normally provoke pain, such as light touch on a sunburn.

Hyperalgesia

An exaggerated response to painful stimuli, making normally painful sensations feel more intense.

Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) Channels

Ion channels that respond to various stimuli including temperature and chemical changes, playing a significant role in pain sensation.

Descending Modulation

The process where the brain regulates pain perception through descending pathways, involving structures like the periaqueductal gray (PAG).

Endogenous Opioids

Naturally occurring peptides (like enkephalins and beta-endorphins) that modulate pain by acting on opioid receptors in the nervous system.

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)

Medications, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, that reduce pain by inhibiting the production of prostaglandins.

Analgesia

Relief from pain, often facilitated by various pharmacological agents or endogenous mechanisms.

Pain Pathways

Neural pathways that transmit nociceptive information from peripheral receptors to the central nervous system.

Cingulate Cortex

A brain region involved in emotional aspects of pain perception and regulation.