CHAPTER 3 I SENSORY PHYSIOLOHY
IMOTOR PART OF THE NS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NERVOUS SYSTEM
▪ A complex network that enables an organism to
interact with its surrounding
▪ Has two (2) components
▪ Sensory → detects environmental stimuli
▪ Motor → provides skeletal, cardiac, and
smooth muscle control, as well as
glandular secretion control
▪ It is made up of vast neutral network; signaling
within these circuits enables thinking, language,
feeling, learning, memory, and all function and
sensation.
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NEURON
▪ Basic functional unit of the nervous system
▪ The nervous system contains 100 billion neurons
SENSORY PART OF THE NS
▪ The nervous system is initiated by sensory
experience that excite sensory receptors
▪ Transmits sensory information from the receptors
of the entire body surface and from the deep
structures
▪ Sensory areas:
▪ Spinal cord
▪ Reticular substance of the medulla, pons,
and mesencephalon
▪ Cerebellum
▪ Thalamus
▪ Sensory cortex
▪ The role of the nervous system is to control the
various bodily activities
SGD
▪ Achieved by controlling contraction of the skeletal
and smooth muscle, and the secretion by both
exocrine and endocrine glands
▪ Motor areas:
▪ Spinal cord
▪ Reticular substance of the medulla, pons,
and mesencephalon
▪ Cerebellum
▪ Basal ganglia
▪ Motor cortex
INTEGRATIVE PART OF THE NS
▪ Processes incoming information for appropriate
mental and motor responses.
▪ More than 99% of all sensory information is
discarded as irrelevant and unimportant.
▪ These disregarded information are not in an
individual’s subconscious.
MAJOR LEVEL OF THE CNS
SPINAL CORD LEVEL
▪ It is often mistaken as a conduit only for signals
from either the periphery or the brain
▪ Neuronal circuits in the cord can cause:
▪ Walking movements
▪ Withdrawal reflexes
▪ Supporting reflexes
▪ Smooth muscle reflexes
LOWER BRAIN OR SUBCORTICAL LEVEL
▪ Medulla, pons, mesencephalon, hypothalamus,
thalamus, cerebellum, and basal ganglia
▪ Subconscious activities of the body are controlled
in the lower areas of the brain. Such as:
▪ Regulation of arterial pressure
▪ Equilibrium
▪ Feeding reflexes
HIGHER BRAIN OR CORTICAL LEVEL
▪ Extremely large memory storehouse
✓ Cerebral cortex
 CHAPTER 3 I SENSORY PHYSIOLOHY
▪ Never functions alone but always in association IPRESYNAPTIC TERMINAL
with lower centers ▪ Lie on the surfaces of the dendrites and soma of
▪ Essential for most of our though processes. the motor neuron
SGD
▪ Ends of nerve fibrils originating from many other
neurons
SYNAPSES ▪ Most are excitatory

TYPE OF SYNAPSES TRANSMITTER VESICLES

CHEMICAL SYNAPSES
▪ Involves secreting a neurotransmitter which acts on
a receptor protein to excite, inhibit or modify the
sensitivity of the next neuron.
▪ One-way conduction system
▪ More abundant
▪ It contains neurotransmitters that excite or inhibit
the postsynaptic neuron
▪ Internal structures involved: mitochondria and
vesicles
SYNAPTIC CLEFT
▪ It separates the presynaptic terminal from the
postsynaptic neuronal soma.
RECEPTOR PROTEIN
▪ Binding competent (Ionotropic receptors):
protruding outward from the membrane into the
cleft and directly gate ion channels.
▪ Intracellular component (Metabotropic receptors):
passes all the way through the membrane and act
through second messenger systems.

ION CHANNELS
▪ Cation channels: Only allow (+) ions to enter but
is lined with (-) charges
➢ Opened by an excitatory neurotransmitter
ELECTRICAL SYNAPSES
▪ Anion channels: only allow (-) ions to enter but is
▪ In the form of gap junctions, it allows the free
lined with (+) charges
movement of ions from one membrane to another
➢ Opened by an inhibitory neurotransmitter
▪ Bi-directional conduction

SECOND MESSENGER
▪ Utilized when prolonged charges in the neuron is
necessary
 CHAPTER 3 I SENSORY PHYSIOLOHY
MECHANISM OF TRANSMITTER RELEASE FROM THE ISMALL-MOLECULE, RAPIDLY ACTING TRANSMITTERS
PRESYNAPTIC TERMINALS
▪ Cause most acute responses of the nervous system
SGD
▪ Synthesized in the cytosol of the presynaptic
terminal
▪ Absorbed by means of active transport
▪ Vesicles that store and release small-molecule
transmitters are continually recycled

NEUROPEPTIDES
▪ Synthesized as integral parts of the large-protein
EXCITATION INHIBITION molecules by ribosomes
▪ Smaller quantities of neuropeptides than of the
▪ Opening of sodium ▪ Opening of chloride small-molecule transmitters are usually released
channels channels
▪ Generally, a thousand times or more potent and
▪ Depressed ▪ Increase in cause prolonged actions
conduction through conductance of
▪ Examples:
chloride or potassium ions
✓ Somatostatin ✓ Substance P
potassium channels ▪ Activation of
✓ Adrenocorticotropic hormones ✓ Gastrin
▪ Changes in the receptor enzymes
✓ Prolactin ✓ Cholecystokinin
internal metabolism that cellular
✓ Vasopressin ✓ Insulin
to excite cell activity metabolism
✓ Oxytocin ✓ Glucagon
✓ Enkephalin ✓ Angiotensin II
✓ Calcitonin
NEUROTRANSMITTERS

EXCITATION INHIBITION ELECTRICAL EVENTS IN THE SYNAPSE

▪ Acetylcholine: Can also ▪ Dopamine: Substantia EXCITATORY INHIBITORY
be inhibitory nigra POSTSYNAPTIC POSTSYNAPTIC
➢ Large pyramidal cells ▪ Glycine: Spinal cord POTENTIAL (EPSP) POTENTIAL (IPSP)
➢ Basal ganglia ▪ Gamma-aminobutyric ▪ Positive increase in ▪ Increase in
➢ Preganglionic neurons acid (GABA) voltage above the negatively beyond
(ANS) ➢ Spinal cord normal resting the normal resting
➢ Postganglionic ➢ Cerebellum neuronal potential membrane potential
neurons (PNS and ➢ Basal Ganglia ▪ Begins in the initial
segment of the axon level.
some SNS) ➢ Cortex
▪ Norepinephrine: Can ▪ Serotonin
also be inhibitory ➢ Dorsal horns of the
➢ Bran stem and spinal cord
hypothalamus ➢ Hypothalamus
➢ Locus coeruleus
▪ Glutamate: Spinal cord
 CHAPTER 3 I SENSORY PHYSIOLOHY
PRESYNAPTIC INHIBITION
▪ Inhibition often occurs at the presynaptic terminals
before the signal ever reaches the synapse
SPATIAL SUMMATION
▪ Summing simultaneous postsynaptic potentials by
activating multiple terminals on widely spaced
areas of the neuronal membrane
TEMPORAL SUMMATION
▪ Successive discharges from a single presynaptic
terminal, if they occur rapidly enough, can add to
one another
SPECIAL FUNCTION OF DENDRITES
▪ Large spatial field of excitation
➢ Provides a vast opportunity for summation of
signals from separate presynaptic fibers
➢ A large share of the excitation is provided by
signals transmitted by the dendrites
▪ Most dendrites cannot transmit action
potentials
➢ Because their membrane has relatively few
voltage-gated sodium channels
➢ Their thresholds for excitation are too high for
action potentials to occur
➢ Electrotonic current: Direct spread of electrical
current by ion conduction in the fluids
▪ Decrement of electronic conduction in the
dendrites
➢ Decremental conduction: decrease in
membrane potential as it spreads
electrotonically along dendrites toward the
soma
SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SYNAPTIC
TRANSMISSION
▪ Fatigue of Synaptic Transmission
➢ The number of discharges is at first very great,
but the firing rate becomes progressively less
in succeeding milliseconds or seconds
➢ Protective mechanism against excess neuronal
activity
➢ Mainly exhaustion of the stores of transmitter
substance in the presynaptic terminals
I▪ Synaptic delay: minimal period of time required
for the following events to occur
➢ Discharge of the transmitter substance by the
SGD presynaptic terminal
➢ Diffusion of the transmitter to the postsynaptic
membrane
➢ Action of the transmitter on the receptor
➢ Action of the receptor to increase membrane
permeability
➢ Inward diffusion of sodium to raise the EPSP
to elicit an action potential
▪ Effect of acidosis alkalosis
➢ Acidosis: decrease in pH; depresses neuronal
activity → comatose
➢ Alkalosis: increase in pH; increases neuronal
excitability → seizures
▪ Effect of hypoxia: brief cessation of oxygen may
cause complete in excitability
▪ Effect of drugs
➢ Caffeine (coffee), theophylline (tea) and
theobromine (cocoa) decrease threshold
➢ Strychnine: inhibits the action of inhibitory
transmitter
➢ Most anesthetics: increase threshold
SENSORY RECEPTORS
DIFFERENTIAL SENSITIVITY
▪ Each type of receptor is highly sensitive to one
type of stimulus yet is almost non-responsive to
other types of stimulus
LABELED LINE PRINCIPLE
▪ Specificity of nerve fibers for transmitting only
one modality of sensation.
RECEPTOR POTENTIAL
▪ Change in potential of the membrane in the
receptor due to a stimulus which leads to an action
potential
▪ May be elicited by any of the following:
✓ mechanical deformation
✓ application of chemical
✓ change in temperature, and
 CHAPTER 3 I SENSORY PHYSIOLOHY
✓ effects of electromagnetic radiation I▪ Type C
▪ Maximum receptor potential: 100mV ✓ Unmyelinated nerve fibers
✓ Constitute more than half of the sensory fibers
SGD in most peripheral nerves

PHYSIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION OF NERVE FIBERS

General Alternative Motor
Classification Classification Function
A-α Ia: Annulospiral endings Skeletal muscle
Ib: Golgi tendon organs
A-β and A-γ II: Flower-spray endings Muscle Spindle
A-δ III: Temperature, crude
touch, and prickling pain
sensations
C IV: fibers carrying pain, Sympathetic
itch temperature, and fibers
RECEPTOR POTENTIAL AND AP crude touch
▪ As RP rises above threshold for eliciting AP in
nerve fiber attached to a receptor, AP occurs TRANSMISSION AND PROCESSING OF SIGNALS IN
NEURONAL POOL
▪ Divergence of signals
➢ Signals entering a pool excite a great number
of fibers leaving the pool
▪ Convergence of signals
➢ Signals from multiple inputs uniting to excite a
single neuron
▪ Reciprocal Inhibition
➢ An excitatory signal going in one direction
and an inhibitory signal going elsewhere
▪ After discharge
ADAPTATION ➢ Signal entering a pool causes a prolonged
▪ When a continuous stimulus is applied, the discharge
receptor responds at a high rate at first and then ▪ Stabilizing neuronal circuits
at a slower rate until finally the rate decreases to ➢ Inhibitory circuits – Helps prevent excessive
very few or often to none at all spread of signals
▪ Types: ➢ Synaptic fatigue – due to intensity duration of
▪ Slow-adapting (tonic) receptors transmission
✓ Example: Muscle spindles, FTO,
baroreceptors, chemoreceptors
▪ Rapidly-adapting (phasic) receptors
✓ Example: Pacinian corpuscle

NERVE FIBERS
▪ Type A
✓ Large and medium-sized myelinated fibers
✓ Divides into α, ß, γ, δ
 CHAPTER 3 I SENSORY PHYSIOLOHY
SENSORY RECEPTORS IOTHER SENSATIONS
▪ Exteroceptive sensation
▪ Mechanoreceptors ➢ Surface of the body
➢ Detect mechanical compression
or stretching Somatic
SGD
▪ Proprioceptive sensation
➢ Relates to physical state of the body
▪ Thermoreceptors Receptors
▪ Visceral sensation
➢ Detect changes in temperature ➢ Viscera of the body
▪ Nociceptors ▪ Deep sensation
➢ Detect physical or chemical damage ➢ Deep tissues
▪ Electromagnetic receptors
➢ Detect light on the retina of the eye
TACTILE RECEPTORS
▪ Chemoreceptors
▪ Free Nerve Endings
➢ Detect chemical changes
➢ Found in the skin and in other tissues
➢ Touch, pressure, tickle, and itch
▪ Meissner’s Corpuscles
➢ Present in the non-hairy parts of the
skin
➢ Localized touch, texture, and low
frequency vibration, surface
movement
▪ Merkel’s Discs
➢ Slow adaptation
➢ Continuous touch, localized touch,
texture
▪ Hair-end organ
➢ Hair with a nerve entwining its base
SOMATIC SENSATIONS ➢ Surface movement and initial
contact
Mechanoreceptors Thermoreceptors Pain ▪ Ruffini’s Endings
▪ Stimulated by ▪ Detects heat ▪ Activated by
➢ Deeper internal tissues and joints
mechanical and cold factors that
displacement of ▪ May be damage the ➢ Heavy prolonged touch, pressure,
tissue of the body freezing cold tissues and degree of joint rotation
▪ Tactile senses to cold, cold to ▪ Fast pain (sharp, ▪ Pacinian Corpuscles
(touch, pressure, cool, prickling, acute, ➢ Beneath the skin and deep in the
vibration, and indifferent to and electric): Pain fascial tissues
tickle sensations) warm, warm to felt within about ➢ High-frequency vibration and
▪ Position senses hot to burning 0.1secs after a pressure
(proprioception hot stimulus
and kinesthesia) ▪ Slow pain
(burning, aching,
throbbing,
nauseous, and
chronic): Begins
only after 1 sec
and increases
slowly)
 CHAPTER 3 I SENSORY PHYSIOLOHY
DETECTION AND TRANSMISSION OF TACTILE IPAIN STIMULI
SENSATIONS ▪ Fast pain
▪ Tactile Sensations ✓ Elicited by mechanical and thermal stimuli
➢ Meissner’s corpuscles, Merkel’s discs, hair SGD▪ Slow pain
receptors, Ruffini’s endings, and Pacinian ✓ Elicited by mechanical, thermal, and
corpuscles transmit their signals through A- chemical stimuli
beta fibers
➢ Tactile free nerve endings transmit signals CHEMICALS FOR PAIN
through A-gamma and unmyelinated C fibers ▪ Excitatory Chemicals
▪ Vibration ▪ Bradykinin
➢ Meissner’s and Pacinian corpuscles transmit ▪ Serotonin
signals through A-beta fibers ▪ Histamine
▪ Tickle and Itch ▪ K ions
➢ Free nerve endings transmit signals through C ▪ Acids
fibers ▪ Acetylcholine
▪ Proprioception ▪ Proteolytic enzymes
➢ Static position sense: conscious perception of ▪ Pain sensitivity enhancers
the orientation of the different parts of the ▪ Prostaglandins
body with respect to one another ▪ Substance P
▪ Kinesthesia
➢ Dynamic position sense): conscious perception TISSUE DAMAGE AS PAIN STIMULUS
of the orientation of the different parts of the
▪ The average person begins to perceive pain
body with respect to the rate of movement
when the skin is heated above 45°C
➢ Receptors:
▪ It is also the temperature at which the tissues
✓ Muscle spindles → determines the begin to be damaged by heat
angulation in midranges
✓ Others: Ruffini’s endings and GTO → CHEMICAL PAIN STIMULUS
stretch at extreme joint angulation ▪ Bradykinin: an agent most responsible for pain
✓ Pacinian corpuscles → rapid rates of ▪ Intensity of the pain correlates with the local
change increase in K concentration or the increase in
proteolytic enzymes that directly attach the
PAIN RECEPTORS nerve endings
▪ Pain receptors in the skin and other tissues are all
free nerve endings TISSUE ISCHEMIA
▪ Widespread in the superficial layers of ▪ When blood flow to a tissue is blocked, the
the skin, as well as in the certain internal tissue often becomes very painful within a few
tissues minutes.
▪ Most other deep tissues are only sparsely ▪ Possible causes:
supplied with pain endings 1. Accumulation of large amounts of lactic
→ NON-ADAPTING acid in the tissues
▪ Pain receptors adapt very little or sometimes, 2. It is probable that other chemical agents
not at all are formed in the tissues of the cell
▪ Hyperalgesia – increase in sensitivity of the damage
pain receptors
 CHAPTER 3 I SENSORY PHYSIOLOHY
MUSCLE SPASM ISTIMULATION OF THERMAL SENSATION
▪ Direct effect: stimulating mechanosensitive pain ▪ Cold and warmth receptors are stimulated by
receptors changes in their metabolic rates
▪ Indirect effect: Ischemia and increased SGD
▪ The rate of intracellular chemical reactions
increases more than twofold for each 10°C
metabolism
change

TRANSMISSION OF PAIN SENSATIONS ▪ Spatial summation

➢ When a large skin area is stimulated all at
Slow-Chronic Pain once, the thermal signals from the entire
Fast-Sharp Pain Pathway
Pathway area summate
▪ Elicited by either ▪ Elicited mostly by ▪ Transmission
mechanical or thermal chemical of pain stimuli ➢ Thermal signals are transmitted in pathways
pain stimuli but sometimes by parallel to those for pain signals
▪ Transmitted by small persisting mechanical or
type Aδ fibers thermal stimuli
▪ Transmitted by type C SENSORY PATHWAYS
fibers
DORSAL-COLUMN MEDIAL LEMNISCUS PATHWAY
Double Innervation
▪ Gives the sensation of a double stimulation ▪ Composed of large, myelinated nerve fibers that
▪ Sharp pain apprises the person of rapid damage transmit to the brain
▪ Chronic pain apprises of a persisting damage ▪ Features a distinct spatial orientation of nerve
fibers
THERMAL RECEPTORS ▪ Fibers from the lower body parts lie at the
▪ Thermal receptors can adapt but never to a center of the cord and those at higher levels
100% form laterally
▪ In the ventrobasal complex, the tail end of the
▪ Pain Receptors body is represented laterally while the head
➢ Stimulated only the extremes of heat or cold
and face are represented medially
and along with the cold and warmth
receptors ▪ 30-110m/sec
➢ Cold pain fibers are stimulated at around 0-
10°C ▪ Fibers enter the dorsal
➢ Heat receptors are stimulated at 45 °C columns up to the dorsal
medulla where they
Warmth Receptors Cold Receptors synapse in the dorsal
column nuclei
▪ The existence of ▪ Special, small type Aδ
▪ Second-order neurons
distinctive warmth myelinated nerve ending
receptors is certain but that branches several decussate to the opposite
have not been identified times serve as the cold brain stem and continue to
and is presumed to be receptors the thalamus through the
free nerve endings ▪ Stimulated at around medial lemnisci
▪ Stimulated at around 30 1015°C, peak at 24°C, ▪ The medial lemniscal fibers
°C and face at 49 °C and fade at 40°C terminate in the
▪ Receptor: Krause end ventrobasal complex
bulb
▪ Third-order nerve fibers
project mainly to the
postcentral gyrus of the
cerebral cortex
 CHAPTER 3 I SENSORY PHYSIOLOHY
ANTEROLATERAL PATHWAY I▪ Anterolateral System
▪ Originate mainly in dorsal horn laminae I, IV, V, ▪ Pain
and VI - Area where the dorsal root sensory nerve ▪ Thermal sensations, including both warmth and
fibers terminate after entering the cord SGD cold sensations
▪ Velocity of transmission → 8 to 40 m/sec ▪ Crude touch and pressure sensations capable
▪ Signals only of crude localizing ability on the surface
▪ Poor gradation of spatial orientation of the body
▪ Poor transmission of rapidly ▪ Tickle and itch sensations
changing/repetitive signals ▪ Sexual sensations
▪ Intensity of signals are less accurate (around 10-
20% of DCML)
NEOSPINOTHALAMIC TRACT FOR FAST PAIN
▪ Fibers cross in the ▪ Aδ pain fibers terminate at lamina I (lamina
anterior commissure of marginalis) where they excite the second-order
the cord to the opposite neurons which cross to the opposite side and turn
anterior and lateral upward to the brain in the anterolateral columns.
white columns ▪ A few terminate in the reticular areas of the brain
▪ Turn upward toward of stem but most terminate in the ventrobasal
the brain through the complex.
anterior and lateral ▪ Few fibers also terminate in the posterior nuclear
spinothalamic tracts group of thalami.
▪ Upper terminus of the ▪ From the thalamic areas, the signals are
two spinothalamic tracts transmitted to other basal areas of the brain and
▪ From here, the signals to the somatosensory cortex
are transmitted ▪ Glutamate → the neurotransmitter secreted in the
spinal cord at the type Aδ pain fibers
▪ Fast-sharp type of pain can be localized much
more exactly. When tactile receptors are
simultaneously stimulated, localization can be
nearly exact.

DCML VS ANTEROLATERAL SYSTEM

▪ Dorsal-Column Medial Lemniscal System
▪ Touch sensations requiring a high degree of
localization of the stimulus
▪ Touch sensations requiring transmission of fine
gradations of intensity
▪ Phasic sensations, such as vibratory sensations
▪ Sensations that signal movement against the
skin
▪ Position sensation from the joints
▪ Pressure sensations related to fine degrees of
judgment of pressure intensity
PALEOSPINOTHALAMIC TRACT FOR SLOW PAIN
▪ Type C pain fibers terminate at laminae II and III
(substantia gelatinosa), pass through some
additional short fibers before entering mainly the
lamina V then cross to the opposite side and turn
upward to the brain in the anterolateral columns
▪ Terminates widely in the brain stem. Most
terminate in one of the three areas:
▪ Reticular nuclei of medulla, pons, and
mesencephalon
▪ Tectal area of the mesencephalon
▪ Periaqueductal gray region
▪ Substance P → neurotransmitter involved in slow
pain
▪ Localization of pain transmitted here is imprecise
 CHAPTER 3 I SENSORY PHYSIOLOHY
ICORTICAL HOMUNCULUS
SGD
SOMATOSENSORY CORTEX
BRODMANN’S AREA
▪ Map of the human cerebral cortex that is
divided into 50 distinct areas.
▪ Central Sulcus/Fissure
➢ It divides the brain horizontally
➢ Sensory signals terminate posterior to the
fissure (postcentral gyrus)
➢ Motor signals terminate anterior to the
fissure (precentral gyrus)
➢ A distorted representation of the human
body, based on a neurological map of the
areas and proportions of the human brain
dedicated to processing motor functions, or
sensory functions, for different parts of the
body.
SOMATOSENSORY AREA (BA 3,1,2)
▪ Area 1 has a higher degree of localization and
is more extensive
▪ Orientation in Area 1:
▪ Greatest representation: Lips followed
by the face and the thumb
▪ Head is represented most laterally
▪ Orientation in Area 2:
▪ Face anteriorly, arms centrally, legs
posteriorly
▪ Most anterior portion at 3A responds to muscle
tendon and joint stretch receptors
▪ Most posterior portion of 3A respond only to
stimuli that moves across the skin in a particular
direction
FUNCTIONS OF SOMATOSENSORY AREA 1
▪ Somatosensory area 1 has the ability to:
▪ Localize discretely the different sensations in
the different parts of the body
▪ Judge critical degrees of pressure against the
body
▪ Judge the weight of objects
▪ Detect shapes or forms of objects
▪ Detect texture of materials
 CHAPTER 3 I SENSORY PHYSIOLOHY
SOMATOSENSORY ASSOCIATION AREA (BA 5&7) I▪ Gate Control Theory
▪ Play important roles in deciphering deeper ➢ Stimulation of large-type Aβ fibers can
meanings of the sensory information in the depress the transmission of pain signals from

▪
somatosensory areas
Combines information arriving from multiple
SGD the same body area, especially those that are
transmitted by type C fibers
points in the primary somatosensory area to
decipher its meaning
▪ Receive signals from:
▪ Somatosensory area I
▪ Ventrobasal nuclei of the thalamus
▪ Other areas in the thalamus
▪ Visual and auditory cortex

AMORPHOSYNTHESIS
▪ It is a condition where an individual loses the
ability to recognize complex objects and complex
forms felt on the opposite side of the body

RETICULAR FORMATION, THALAMUS, AND CORTEX

▪ Pain impulses entering the brain stem reticular
formation, the thalamus, and other lower brain
center → conscious perception of pain
▪ The cortex plays an important role in interpreting REFERRED PAIN VS VISCERAL PAIN
pain quality, even though pain perception might
be principally the function of lower centers Referred Pain Visceral Pain
▪ The thalamus and the other lower centers have ▪ Pain felt in a part of ▪ Pain from the different
slight ability to discriminate tactile sensation the body that is fairly visceral of the
▪ The lower brain stem, the thalamus, and other remote from the tissue abdomen and chest
causing the pain ▪ Any stimulus that
associated basal regions → (+) dominant roles in ▪ When the visceral pain excites pain nerve
temperature discrimination fibers are stimulated, endings in the diffuse
pain signals from the areas of the visceral
PAIN SUPPRESSION (ANALGESIA) viscera are conducted can cause visceral
through at least some pain
▪ Opiate System of the same neurons ▪ Stimuli include
➢ The periaqueductal gray and periventricular that conduct pain ischemia, chemical
areas send signals to the raphe magnus signals from the skin damage, spasm,
nucleus and the nucleus reticularis excess distention,
paragigantocellularis and/or stretching of
➢ Then, signals are transmitted down the the connective tissues
surrounding the viscus
dorsolateral columns to a pain inhibitory
complex located in the dorsal horns
➢ Enkephalin → can cause inhibition of
incoming type C and type Aδ pain fibers
➢ Serotonin → causes local cord neurons to
secrete enkephalin
CHAPTER 3 I SENSORY PHYSIOLOHY
ICORTICOFUGAL SIGNALS
▪ Signals that are transmitted in the backward
direction from the cerebral cortex to the lower
SGD
▪
sensory relay stations
Almost entirely inhibitory since they control the
intensity of sensitivity of the sensory input

DERMATOMES
▪ A segmental field of the skin innervated by a
spinal nerve.