PSYC 211 Lecture Notes - Lecture 26: Central Sulcus, Periaqueductal Gray, Supplementary Motor Area
16 Mar 2017
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Document Summary
Brain mechanisms of pain the unpleasantness component refers to the degree to which the individual is bothered by the pain. Mediated by pathways leading to the anterior cingulate and insular cortex the component of long term implications represents one"s future comfort and well-being. Mediated by pathways that reach the prefrontal cortex. Sensory component concerned with pure perception of the intensity of a painful stimulus. Mediated by a pathway from spinal cord to the somatosensory cortices via the ventral posterior thalamic nucleus. Evidence for brain mechanism of pain (rainville) subjects placed their hands in ice cold water to produce a pain sensation subjects with hypnosis reported less unpleasant pain even though the pain was still intense. Brain activations were observed in a pet scanner. Painful stimuli increased activation in both anterior cingulate cortex and primary somatosensory cortex. When hypnotized, anterior cingulate activity decreased and activity of the somatosensory cortex remained high somatosensory cortex involved in pain perception.
