Can't a brain without pain receptors really feel pain?

May 11, 2019 news / Bio Valley bio on / - there is no pain sensor in the brain The pain sensor is a kind of nerve, which can detect the injury or threat to our body and send signals to the spinal cord and brain This leads people to believe that the brain doesn't feel pain: a belief that has entered popular culture In the 2001 film Hannibal, there is a disturbing scene in which Hannibal Lecter excises part of an FBI agent's brain The agent sits at the dinner table Although he takes the medicine, he is fully awake "Look, there's no pain in the brain itself," Lecter told the terrified Clarice Starling Photo source: http://cn.bing.com but if the brain doesn't feel pain, what causes headaches? Although the brain doesn't have pain receptors, many other structures of our head have pain receptors, including blood vessels, muscles, and the nerves of the neck, face and scalp Headaches are caused by problems with these structures Stress, damage, extreme temperatures and chemicals, such as capsaicin, the active ingredient in peppers, activate different types of pain receptors "Brain freeze" or "ice cream headache" seems to be caused by a sudden change in blood flow in the vein between the back of the throat and the brain Dehydration can stimulate blood vessels in the head, leading to headache, which is one of the reasons why many people have a headache after a night of drinking Any dentist can tell you that a headache may indicate that your jaw is overstressed, and that it may be grinding your teeth while you sleep The cause of migraine pain is unclear, but it is thought to be caused by activation of pain receptors in the meninges Meninges are cellophane inclusions that surround the brain and spinal cord However, the cause of this activation remains unclear Even if the brain does not have pain receptors, headaches can still be a sign of brain problems Long lasting headaches that do not respond to drugs, or sudden, unusually severe headaches, can be signs of serious brain problems, such as tumors, bleeding, or infections Although these problems can cause pain, they are not caused by activating the brain's own pain receptors (because it has no pain receptors), but by inflating the brain and exerting pressure on other structures of the brain Photo source: http://cn.bing.com is not just about sensory experience Fundamentally speaking, Hannibal Lecter's idea that the brain doesn't feel pain is wrong Although the brain has no pain receptors, it can "sense" all our pain This is because our brain is the organ that we interpret, evaluate and experience all the sensory signals of the body Scientists distinguish between pain (the body's damaged neural signals) and pain (the unpleasant emotional and cognitive experiences that usually occur when pain receptors are activated) This means that pain is not just a sensory experience, it is also influenced by our thoughts, emotions and social relationships For example, how we experience pain will be influenced by our thoughts, such as what we believe pain may mean, and our memories of painful experiences in the past Pain is also an emotional experience: depressed people say they experience more pain in their daily lives Leading to depression in normal people increases their assessment of pain and reduces their tolerance to pain It is also a social experience In one experiment, if students thought the experimenter was one of their professors, they would put their hands in the painful cold water to endure the pain as long as possible, and if they thought the experimenter was their classmate, the time would be shorter This shows that it's important who asks about our pain Source: http://cn.bing.com social impact on pain also shows the benefits of getting support from people who care about you In another study using the same ice bucket method, when another person observed the experiment quietly, people were more tolerant to pain than when the experimenter was alone If the "Observer" is a same-sex friend, participants will have higher tolerance even if the friend is not in the room but only nearby Given the many effects on how we experience pain, it's not surprising that finding relief from pain can be complex and frustrating The good news is that each impact represents a way to manage pain Helping people change their thoughts and feelings about pain is an important part of pain management Reference materials: [1] does the brain really feel no pain? [2] Melissa Mary Blatt et al Cerebral volatile blood flow changes during 'brain freeze' The FASEB Journal 2012 [3] Melissa Mary Blatt [4] Adrienne E Dubin et al Nociceptors: the sensors of the pain pathway J Clin investment 2010 Doi: 10.1172/jci42843 [5] Andrew CHARLES et al The neurobiology of migraine Handb Clin Neurol 2010; 97: 99–108 doi: 10.1016/S0072-9752(10)97007-3 【6】 Thunderclap Headache 【7】Hermesdorf M J et al Pain Sensitivity in Patients With Major Depression: Differential Effect of Pain Sensitivity Measures, Somatic Cofactors, and Disease Characteristics Pain 2016 May; 17(5):606-16 doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2016.01.474 Epub 2016 Feb 9
【8】Tang NK et al Effects of mood on pain responses and pain tolerance: an experimental study in chronic back pain patients Pain 2008 Aug 31; 138(2):392-401 doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2008.01.018 Epub 2008 Mar 5 【9】Edwards R et al Observer influences on pain: an experimental series examining same-sex and opposite-sex friends, strangers, and romantic partners Pain 2017 May;158(5):846-855 doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000840.