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Book

Physiology, Nociceptive Pathways

Sarah Kendroud, Lauren A. Fitzgerald  1 , Ian V. Murray  2 , Andrew Hanna  3
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
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Book

Physiology, Nociceptive Pathways

Sarah Kendroud et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

Nociception refers to the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) processing of noxious stimuli, such as tissue injury and temperature extremes, which activate nociceptors and their pathways. Pain is the subjective experience one feels as a result of the activation of these pathways. However, this perception depends on the action potential frequency, the time interval between each action potential, and input from higher-order brain centers. Pain is often used as a signal by the body to indicate that something is awry, but it may also arise from nerve misfiring or damage.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Sarah Kendroud declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Lauren Fitzgerald declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Ian Murray declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Andrew Hanna declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

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    1. Goudman L, Brouns R, De Groote S, De Jaeger M, Huysmans E, Forget P, Moens M. Association Between Spinal Cord Stimulation and Top-Down Nociceptive Inhibition in People With Failed Back Surgery Syndrome: A Cohort Study. Phys Ther. 2019 Jul 01;99(7):915-923. - PubMed
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    1. Puopolo M. The hypothalamic-spinal dopaminergic system: a target for pain modulation. Neural Regen Res. 2019 Jun;14(6):925-930. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pereira V, Goudet C. Emerging Trends in Pain Modulation by Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors. Front Mol Neurosci. 2018;11:464. - PMC - PubMed

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