Abstract
Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the role of the forebrain in the sensory aspects of pain. Evidence concerning the pathways ascending from the spinal cord that carry nociceptive information crucial to pain sensation has been reviewed. Clinical and experimental evidence indicates that the forebrain plays an important role in pain sensation. Sensory discriminative processing of pain sensation appears to depend chiefly upon pathways ascending in the lateral funiculus contralateral to a painful stimulus, but ipsilateral pathways may play an ancillary role as well. Nociceptive neurons in the ventral posterior lateral nucleus transmit information about painful stimuli to neurons in the somatosensory cortex. The chapter considers experimental work on neurons in the somatosensory thalamus and cerebral cortex that respond to painful stimuli. It also discusses the effects of stimulation of the somatosensory thalamus and cerebral cortex in modulating nociceptive transmission in the spinal cord.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
