PSY 325 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Prostaglandin, Chronic Pain, Bradykinin
Document Summary
Sense receptors located on the surface of the body turn physical energy into neural impulses: these neural impulses can travel to the pns toward the spinal cord & brain. Neurons: afferent neurons: sensory neurons that relay info from the sense organs toward the brain. Perceiving pain: nociception: process of perceiving pain, nocireceptors: receptors in the skin & organs that are capable of responding to various types of stimulation. Spinal cord: pathway for ascending sensory info & descending motor info to & from the brain. The brain: from the spinal cord, the brain receives info from afferent neurons, somatosensory cortex: part of the brain that receives sensory info that allows the entire surface of the skin to be mapped. Neurotransmitters & pain: neurotransmitters: chemicals that are synthesized & stored in neurons. In the 1970s, researchers identified naturally occurring chemicals in the brain that affect pain perception: reduce pain: endorphins, enkephalins, & dynorphin. Produce pain: glutamate, substance p, bradykinin, & prostaglandins.
