BIO 208 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Cyclooxygenase, Thalamus, Postherpetic Neuralgia
19 Sep 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Nociceptors: responsible for pain have specialized physiological properties, much higher threshold to stimulation, mechanical nociceptors: A set of receptors sensitive to stimuli of a mechanical type: measured diff types through afferent fiber recordings". Pinch with serrated forceps: most response: nociceptors have a specialized anatomy and chemistry: small diameter axons. When activated, could produce a painful response but don"t always. A - gentle pressure(meissner, merkel, pacinian)- blue region. Input from external (skin) and internal (bone, joints, muscle) structures to common cells in spinal cord: summary: Sensory neurons are selectively activated by stimuli that are potentially damaging to the tissue they innervate: stimuli can be mechanical, thermal, chemical. Because nociceptive stimuli do not always result in pain. Nociceptors conduct to the spinal cord via small diameter axons (a -, c- fibers)--- makes them susceptible to block by local anesthetics. Diff fibers have diff diameters so they have diff conduction velocities.
