Question

Describe what pain is, how it is encoded, and how it is conveyed to the brain

Answer 1

Pain is an undesirable sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. Pain signals are carried by two types of nerve fibers, A-delta and C fibers. The A-delta fiber caries the first, sharp pain. The C fiber conveys the dull, rhythmic pain that follows. The signals travel to reach the brain through the spinal cord through a dense array of nerve cells known as the dorsal horn, where the gate-control action takes place, either conveying or inhibiting pain signals. Nerve fibers throughout the body connect to the spinal cord. In the spinal cord, incoming messages can be amplified, dampened or blocked altogether. The pain we feel can be modified by chemical signals in the spinal cord and in the brain. Pain signals reach different parts of the brain. Some signals reach the part of the brain that controls spatial awareness. Which means where in the body a pain signal is coming from. Other signals travel to the part of the brain that generates and controls emotion. Pain signals also reach the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that controls sleep and temperature regulation.