When they killed off a certain population of nociceptor neurons, the mice stopped responding to being poked, but still responded to heat. |
Analgesia by direct antagonism of nociceptor sensitization involves the arginine-NO-cGMP pathway. |
Nociceptor stimulation triggers action potentials in sensory nerve fibres that transmit impulses to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. |
These mediators lower the nociceptor threshold, making the receptors more responsive to painful stimuli. |
Whether the drugs work or not, the specter of addiction is very real, as is the potential for irreversible changes in nociceptor pathways within the central nervous system. |
Pain sensation begins with the stimulation of a nociceptor, or nerve ending, and resultant activation of a sensory nerve. |