Question

How is pain detected and transmitted to the brain? How does the nervous system respond to relieve pain? Why do certain drugs provide pain relief? write 400-500 words

Answer 1

The pain is detected by the receptors that are located in the various parts of the body.The pain receptors are known as the nociceptors.These are nerve endings that are responsible for pain detection.When these receptors are stimulated,they get transmitted into the brain via the sensory neurons.

The two types of nociceptors seen in the body are the Type A and Type C

The type A fibers communicate the fast pain and the type C fibers communicate the slow pain.Sharp pain travels via A-delta fibers, while dull pain is carried along C fibers. The nociceptor fibers synapse in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord.The secondary neurons cross the cord and ascend through the anterolateral spinothalamic tract and ascends to the thalamus.The tertiary neurons connect the thalamus to the sensory cortex of the brain.

The nervous system on percieving the pain,tries to move the body away from the causative agent of the pain.

The pain killer drugs acts on the various levels of the pain transmission pathways and thus blocks the transmission of the signal of pain to the brain and hence we feel that pain is relieved.