Man's antinociceptive system for reducing pain

The antinociceptive system of the human body is a clearly delineated structure of nerve endings located on all sites and in all parts of the central nervous system. Their combination has a kind of hierarchy of active neurochemical levers that have the ability to suspend the functionality of the pain structures included in the nociceptive system.

The action of the antinociceptive system

In the case of an anti-pain system, an opio- tic regulatory regimen is usually used. It consists in the interaction of opiate receptors with opioid ligands. Mediators of the antinociceptive system can suppress uncomfortable intolerable sensations at all possible levels. Thanks to the work of this mechanism, pain and discomfort did not become a predominant feeling in the life of a person. Even when the pain comes, the acting elements of the antinociceptive system are included in the work, which can be felt at the moments of retreat of pain, pause. This is the main function of this protective mechanism in the body of any person.

The importance of narcotic painkillers today

Interest in narcotic substances, incidentally, has also spawned an antinociceptive system. The physiology of the human body clearly indicated the purpose of narcotic substances in medicine: they are used as the strongest anesthetic drug that can help the antinociceptive system to overcome pain or act as its substitute.

To date, narcotic substances - the only option for effective symptomatic treatment of cancer patients. This can justify the use of drugs, given their analgesic effect. However, everyone knows the main disadvantage of such drugs: they are able to turn an adequate, mentally stable person into a dependent being experiencing unearthly tortures and, probably, ended his life way prematurely.

Differences between nociceptive and antinociceptive systems

The antinociceptive system is a painful determinant that guarantees a 100% perception of pain. Considering this term, the differences between this concept and the term "sensory system" can be determined without difficulty. Since only a separate fragment of the sensory system can be called the fundamental "device", that is, the defining analyzer, the nociceptive and antinociceptive systems in total are not simply a determinant, but rather a complex self-controlled somatic system.

To understand what this means, it is necessary to give an example. Medical practice knows rare cases of a lack of pain in a person who is congenital. Meanwhile, the main nociceptive ways in them work as usual, i.e., the mechanism for preventing painful activity functions.

How does pain and pain appear?

By the 70s of the last century, scientific researchers finally formed an opinion about such a component of the central nervous system as the antinociceptive system of the brain. At that time, scientists were able to establish its possibilities for limiting painful excitement, preventing overstrain of the structures of the nociceptive department. Increasing irritation in the nociceptive system provokes active inhibition of this process by anti -ball elements.

Pain shock can occur only when excessive influence on the body of the antinociceptive system can not suppress the force of influence of extraneous factors. Reduction of the inhibitory function is fraught with the overexcitation of the nociceptive system and the production of unforeseen unexpected pains of a psychogenic nature in absolutely normal unaffected organs.

Structure of the body's analgesic system

When considering the concept of antinociception( antinociceptive system), attention should be paid to its individual components. Among them, the elements of the spinal, medial and oblong brain( gray matter, the nucleus of the reticular formation and the nucleus of the seam, the gelatinous component of the spinal cord) should be mentioned first of all.

Thanks to them, the main blockage of pain occurs. A person ceases to feel a pain syndrome when the upward stream of nociceptive excitation lends itself to oppression. This function belongs to the descending control of the pain. The main active substances in the inhibitory work are opioids and some hormones, for example, serotonin. It is more correct to call them modulators, since they change the initial position of the final neurons, without transmitting any exciting effect in their direction.

Mediators and Pain Receptors in the Anti-Cessation System of

The main and predetermining neurons of the analgesic system are those that are located in the gray matter of the midbrain. Important here is the role of axons, which are the ascending routes to the hypothalamus and other mechanisms of the left hemisphere of the brain. They also participate in the opposite direction to the spinal cord. The mediators of these neurons are pentapeptides, which include the enkephalin subspecies. Such mediators in the form of amino acids should receive methionine and leucine.

Enkephalins are able to excite all opiate receptors in a relatively short time. In opiategic synapses, such receptors are located mainly on the membrane, which performs the tasks of the postsynaptic "pillow".The synapses that do not participate in the process become painful, then the mediators that guide the uncomfortable excitation from a specific neuron to another should be allocated through the membrane.

The endogenous antinociceptive system has characteristic opiate receptors, which are largely metabotropic. They are often associated with a bioregulator that causes inhibition of adenylate cyclase by intracellular recognition. The consequence of all of the above is the violation in the synthesis of the anti-pain system. In addition to the pathological reduction of calcium intake, the main mediators of the pain syndrome are included in the human body, that is, the body begins to produce them independently. The most common mediators of pain are:

• substance P;
• cholecystokinin;
• somatostatin;
• glutamic acid.

Hypothalamus and left hemisphere of the brain - activators of the action

The structure of the anti-pain system includes the analgesic structures of the hypothalamus and somatosensory region of the cortex of the left cerebral hemisphere. The infinity of their inhibitory effect on the nociceptive mechanisms of a person is achieved due to:

• downward inhibition of the effect on the neurons of the spinal cord;
• ascending inhibition of effects on neurons of the thalamus;
• activated action on the above-mentioned system of downward control of brakes.

Self-elimination of pain in the body

Nociceptive and antinociceptive systems of the body are in direct coordination. The latter produces opioid endogenous components, which in fact are drugs within us.

These include endorphins, dinorphins, etc. A peculiarity of their chemical composition are steep peptide sequences, like in tiny protein molecules that consist of amino acids.

The role of opioid and non-peptide peptides

The primary number of neurons, which includes the antinociceptive system, are special receptors for such substances. For example, when receptors come into contact with opioids, there is often a subsequent inhibition at the level of operation of individual neurons. In this case, the nociceptive pain system becomes inhibited and hardly reacts to the pain. The task of small neurons of the analgesic system is to create obstacles for the transmission and distribution of pain excitation along the chain of subsequent endings.

Not only opioid peptides take part in the regulating process of the onset of pain sensations. Non-opioid peptides( eg, neurotensin) also affect the overall pain of a person. Arising from many sources, pain can oppress noadrenaline, dopamine, serotonin and other catecholamines.

How does the mechanism of pain suppression work?

The antinociceptive system of the body can function in several ways:

1. Urgent action mechanism. The reaction of the pain stimulus occurs, as a result of which there is excitation of synapses in the system of descending inhibitory control. Within the hindbones of the spinal cord at this time, one can observe a restriction of afferent nociceptive excitation. This mechanism is involved in the basic analgesia. With the suppression of pain, two pain stimuli act simultaneously.
2. Short-acting mechanism. The hypothalamus starts up by involving the control systems of the descending type of the spinal, medial and medulla oblongata. To activate the mechanism to limit painful excitation at the level of the spinal cord, and sometimes the brain, stressors are necessary.
3. Long-acting mechanism. The main centers are located in the hypothalamus, activated with constant pain. An ascending stream of painful excitement is transmitted in all areas of downstream control. The emotional pain color is connected to the nociceptive system. Such an assessment is in most cases not objective.
4. Tonic mechanism. Thanks to him, the constant activity of the antinociceptive system is maintained by the centers of the orbital and frontal zones of the cerebral cortex. They are located in the frontal lobe, behind the eyes. The activity of the nociceptive structure is provided by a constant inhibitory effect. By the way, this process can be noticed even in the absence of pain.

What is the pain?

Ancinociceptive system of the body, which controls the structures of the cerebral cortex, helps to prepare for the painful effect beforehand, then take a pain stimulant with a reduction in unpleasant, uncomfortable sensations.

From all of the above, we can draw a simple conclusion that the intensity and nature of pain are predetermined by the features of the functioning of two systems: nociceptive and antinociceptive. The first one is painful, the second - anti-pain. Specificity of their interaction predetermines the nature of pain experienced by a person. The pain can be different, namely:

• Hyperalgesia is a condition with increased sensitivity to pain, which can result in either a high excitability of the nociceptive system, or a low excitation of the antinociceptive system.
• Hypoalgesia is a condition with reduced sensitivity to pain, resulting from the opposite effect: the antinociceptive pain system rises, and the excitation of the nociceptive system decreases.

Both states can have a positive value for the body, while they largely depend on the pain threshold. Such a value is a non-static mobile indicator that varies with the characteristics of the pain and anesthetic systems. Both antinociceptive and nociceptive structures form a single complex of pain, being only its elements.

What threatens a person's pain?

A fairly complex sensory system of pain perception is necessary for a person to keep the body and its individual parts intact. In addition, the disorders of the functions of these systems( pain and anti-pain) affect the life of the person in the most negative way. In acute short or chronic pain, the following occurs:

1. Sleep disturbances.
2. No sexual attraction.
3. Irritability, inattention.
4. Reduced motor activity.
5. Depression, depressed psychoemotional state.

Pain shock - death

Intense pain can slow breathing, sometimes even stop it completely, while a weak background pain can affect its rapidity. With severe pain, heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, which threatens the development of spasm of peripheral blood vessels.

At first the skin becomes pale, but with short-term pain, dilated vessels cause her flushing. The secretion of saliva, the production of juices of the stomach and pancreas decreases, the intestinal peristalsis stops, which often leads to anuria. The development of pain shock with severe pain is fraught with a fatal outcome.