Small sensory nerves throughout the body gather information & interact with the body directly. This nerve-body interface underlies many diseases. In chronic pain, nerves cause “neurogenic inflammation” by activating blood vessels, skin, & immune cells. This is the site of action of many pain treatments. Key nerve-body interfaces Neural-vascular: Sensory nerves open blood vessels. This…
Pain signals converge in the core of the brainstem where they deeply influence behavior. For checks & balances, the brainstem uses “descending inhibition” as a volume control to reduce pain. Pain physicians leverage this for treatment, via antidepressants, acupuncture, & meditation. Descending inhibition systems To keep pain signals from running out of control, the brainstem…
Pain signal is sent from tissue to the brain. Once in the brain, the signal causes pain. At each stage of its transmission, pain signals are modified and interact with each other in the “pain signal network”. This network consists of 2 major components, in the body & in the brain. Chronic abdominal pain and…
