Suppression of C-fibre discharges upon repeated heat stimulation may explain characteristics of concomitant pain sensations
| Autor: | J. Van Hees, H. O. Handwerker, H. Adriaensen, J. Gybels |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 1987 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Male Neural Conduction Stimulation Stimulus (physiology) Pain sensation Tonic (physiology) Nerve Fibers Sensory threshold Sensation Humans Medicine Thermosensing Molecular Biology Skin business.industry General Neuroscience Nociceptors Neural Inhibition Thermoreceptors Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine Neurology Duration (music) Sensory Thresholds Concomitant Anesthesia Nociceptor Female Radial Nerve Neurology (clinical) Psychology business Developmental Biology |
| Zdroj: | Pain. 28:271 |
| ISSN: | 0304-3959 |
| Popis: | Nociceptors with unmyelinated axons were recorded from the superficial radial nerves of 7 volunteers. A sequence of uniform radiant heat stimuli of 18 s duration, starting from an individually adjusted adapting temperature were used to raise the skin surface temperature by 6 degrees C to a painful level (41-43 degrees C). These stimuli followed each other at 3 different interstimulus intervals of 35 s, 70 s and 105 s, occurring in a random order. The subjects were asked to track the time course of the stimulus-evoked sensation by manipulating the length of a light bar. Adaptation and stimulus temperatures were chosen to induce sensations of heat and/or pain. All nociceptors studied responded to these stimuli with a phasic response of 3-5 s duration, often followed by a low frequency tonic discharge, lasting as long as the stimulus. No discharges were seen in interstimulus periods. Discharge rates during the phasic responses were linearly related to interval duration, whereas tonic discharges were not influenced by the preceding interval. In parallel readings of pain responses were lower up to the 10th second of the stimulus after short rather than after long intervals. These results indicate that the suppression of C-fibre nociceptor discharges during repetitive stimulation may explain concomitant reductions in the magnitude of human pain sensations. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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