Pain in a balance: noxious events engage opposing processes that concurrently modulate nociceptive reactivity. uri icon

abstract

  • Studies have shown that noxious cutaneous stimulation engages physiologically different antinociceptive systems to inhibit a spinal reflex, tail withdrawal from radiant heat. Two experiments are reported that examine the relationship between the inhibition of the tail-flick response and brain-mediated responses to nociception. The induction of a spinally mediated antinociception was accompanied by an increase in latency to vocalize to a noxious thermal stimulus, suggesting pain inhibition. Physiological manipulations that eliminated the inhibition of the tail-flick reflex restored vocalization to thermal stimulation and revealed a concurrent sensitization that generally heightened behavioral reactivity. The results suggest that net pain is regulated by 2 opposing processes, a selective inhibition of nociceptive signals within the spinal cord and a general sensitization that heightens stimulus processing.

published proceedings

  • Behav Neurosci

author list (cited authors)

  • Crown, E. D., Grau, J. W., & Meagher, M. W.

citation count

  • 14

complete list of authors

  • Crown, Eric D||Grau, James W||Meagher, Mary W

publication date

  • December 2004