Spinal Circuits Transmitting Mechanical Pain and Itch.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of neurobiological mechanisms with no primary human data.
PubMed 28484964 · doi:10.1007/s12264-017-0136-z
What was done
This is a narrative review summarizing historical frameworks, including Henry Head's protopathic theory and Melzack and Wall's gate control theory, and describing current evidence on spinal microcircuits that transmit and modulate mechanical pain and itch.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical findings. It outlines the interaction between unmyelinated and myelinated fibers in spinal gating and describes how disruption of these circuits enables innocuous mechanical stimuli to evoke pain or itch.
Why it matters
Understanding spinal sensory microcircuits helps elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying mechanical allodynia and alloknesis in chronic pain and itch conditions.
Limits
This is a narrative review with no primary empirical data, sample sizes, or systematic search methodology reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Rubbing a painful area or wound applies mechanical pressure that shuts down pain-transmitting nerves to decrease the pain sensation.