119:. Experiments looking at the WDR neurons in animals have shown that a strong tactile stimulus in the peripheral inhibitory field could reduce the response to a painful stimulus to the same extent as a weak tactile stimulus closer to the centre of the receptive field. These data show the Gate Control Theory of Pain was correct in the prediction that activation of large tactile afferent fibres inhibit the nociceptive afferent signal being transmitted to the brain.
153:
tend to show reduced tactile sensitivity in the affected area. This means that they find it more difficult to distinguish whether there is one or two tactile points on the skin surface when the points are very close together. If patients are trained on the task of discriminating between two tactile
140:
The intensity of pain reported is consistently reduced in response to touch. This occurs whether the touch is at the same time as the pain, or even if the touch occurs before the pain. Touch also reduces the activation of cortical areas that respond to painful stimuli.
87:
Stimulation of large tactile afferents leads to somatosensory input. The inhibitory interneuron and projection neuron are both activated, but the inhibitory interneuron stops signals travelling to the brain via the projection neuron, i.e. the gate is
115:(WDR neurons) in the dorsal horn are the homologue of Wall and Melzack's proposed projector neurons and inhibitory interneurons. The neurons are multimodal (respond to both touch and pain input), with an inhibitory surround
94:
occurs if there is greater stimulation of the smaller pain afferents. The interneuron becomes inactivated, so that the projection neuron can send signals to the brain leading to pain perception, i.e. the gate is
127:
The interactions between touch and pain are mostly inhibitory (as is predicted by the Gate
Control Theory). Research shows that there both acute and chronic pain perception is influenced by touch, with both
257:
Salter MW, Henry JL (1990). "Differential responses of nociceptive vs. non-nociceptive spinall dorsal horn neurons to cutaneously applied vibration in the cat".
99:
The theory shows that rubbing a painful site leads to stimulation of somatosensory input to projector neurons, which reduces the intensity of pain perceived.
300:
Salter MW, Henry JL (1990). "Physiologicl characteristics of responses of wide dynamic range spinal neurones to cutaneously applied vibration in the cat".
47:
afferents which respond to painful stimuli. The touch fibres have a larger diameter than the pain fibres, which means that they transmit their
68:
inhibits activation of nociceptive afferent fibres. Melzack and Wall suggested that a gating mechanism is present in the dorsal horn of the
562:
Moriwaki K, Yuge O (May 1999). "Topographical features of cutaneous tactile hypoesthetic and hyperesthetic abnormalities in chronic pain".
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Moseley GL, Zalucki NM, Wiech K (July 2008). "Tactile discrimination, but not tactile stimulation alone, reduces chronic limb pain".
84:
With no input, the inhibitory interneuron stops signals being sent to the brain from the projection neuron, i.e. the gate is closed.
64:
The Gate
Control Theory of Pain, first proposed in the 1960s by Melzack and Wall, states that the concurrent activation of tactile
394:
Higgens JD, Tursky B, Schwartz GE (May 1971). "Shock-elicited pain and its reduction by concurrent tactile stimulation".
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80:
to the brain. Interactions between these connections is thought to mediate the perception of painful stimuli:
72:. They suggested that both touch and pain afferent fibres synapse on to 'projection cells' and inhibitory
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32:
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Le Bars D (October 2002). "The whole body receptive field of dorsal horn multireceptive neurones".
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523:"Temporal analysis of cortical mechanisms for pain relief by tactile stimuli in humans"
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points, it is shown that participants report reduced intensity of chronic pain.
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P.D., Wall (1996). "Comments after 30 years of the Gate
Control Theory".
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Wall PD, Sweet WH (January 1967). "Temporary abolition of pain in man".
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in the dorsal horn. It is the projection cells which then travel up the
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R., Melzack; P.D., Wall (1965). "Pain
Mechanisms: A New Theory".
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35:: Aα, Aβ, Aδ and C fibres (more details can be found at the
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There are four main types of sensory fibres responsible for
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Mancini F, Nash T, Iannetti GD, Haggard P (March 2014).
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on the skin reduces the intensity of pain that is felt.
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and respond to touch stimuli; the Aδ and C fibres are
474:"Pain relief by touch: a quantitative approach"
51:much faster than the smaller diameter fibres.
132:changes and differences in brain activation.
19:is the phenomenon where concurrent touch and
8:
111:studies in animals have indicated that the
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521:Inui K, Tsuji T, Kakigi R (March 2006).
39:page). The Aβ fibres are from cutaneous
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103:Development of the Gate Control Theory
7:
123:Interactions between touch and pain
14:
1:
576:10.1016/s0304-3959(98)00257-7
459:10.1016/s1082-3174(96)80063-8
228:10.1016/s0165-0173(02)00186-8
27:Somatosensory afferent fibres
416:10.1126/science.172.3985.866
365:10.1126/science.155.3758.108
314:10.1016/0006-8993(90)90524-f
271:10.1016/0304-3959(90)91128-6
193:10.1126/science.150.3699.971
149:Individuals suffering from
671:
619:10.1016/j.pain.2007.10.021
490:10.1016/j.pain.2013.12.024
113:wide range dynamic neurons
216:Brain Res. Brain Res. Rev
17:Tactile induced analgesia
173:Survey of Anesthesiology
145:Touch and chronic pain
540:10.1093/cercor/bhi114
66:afferent nerve fibers
136:Touch and acute pain
408:1971Sci...172..866H
357:1967Sci...155..108W
185:1965Sci...150..971M
78:spinothalamic tract
55:Gate Control Theory
109:neurophysiological
49:action potentials
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60:Melzack and Wall
41:mechanoreceptors
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402:(3985): 866–7.
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351:(3758): 108–9.
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179:(3699): 89–90.
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117:receptive field
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33:somatosensation
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302:Brain Research
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265:(3): 311–322.
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222:(1–3): 29–44.
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130:psychophysical
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107:More recently
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527:Cereb. Cortex
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484:(3): 635–42.
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613:(3): 600–8.
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308:(1): 69–84.
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151:chronic pain
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74:interneurons
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92:Nociception
70:spinal cord
447:Pain Forum
158:References
45:nociceptor
453:: 12–22.
649:Category
627:18054437
592:24339479
584:10353487
549:15901650
508:24361816
432:44780022
381:33458415
330:12841536
287:40710000
244:53186033
236:12589904
635:2757963
499:3988987
424:5572910
404:Bibcode
396:Science
373:6015561
353:Bibcode
345:Science
322:2302582
279:2326096
201:5320816
181:Bibcode
88:closed.
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326:S2CID
283:S2CID
240:S2CID
95:open.
655:Pain
623:PMID
607:Pain
580:PMID
564:Pain
545:PMID
504:PMID
478:Pain
420:PMID
369:PMID
318:PMID
275:PMID
259:Pain
232:PMID
197:PMID
37:axon
21:pain
615:doi
611:137
572:doi
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494:PMC
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