Addiction
Aisha Shahzad
Review: What is Pain?
● Pain is defined as any sensory or emotional
experience associated with a stimulus that has
the potential to cause tissue damage.
● The sensory response to these harmful stimuli
are collectively called Nociception
○ During this process, specific nociceptors work to trigger
action potentials that will aid in multiple pain pathways:
■ Spinothalamic - Spinal cord → Thalamus →
https://masteringpaininstitute.com/how-pain-works/
Somatosensory Cortex
■ Trigeminal - Sensation concerning face and brain
■ Among many others!
How do Opioids Treat Pain?
Within the Spinothalamic Pain Pathway: