Nociception

In physiology, nociception (/ˌnəʊsɪˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/), also nocioception; from Latin nocere 'to harm/hurt') is the sensory nervous system's process of encoding noxious stimuli. It deals with a series of events and processes required for an organism to receive a painful stimulus, convert it to a molecular signal, and recognize and characterize the signal to trigger an appropriate defensive response.

In nociception, intense chemical (e.g., capsaicin present in chili pepper or cayenne pepper), mechanical (e.g., cutting, crushing), or thermal (heat and cold) stimulation of sensory neurons called nociceptors produces a signal that travels along a chain of nerve fibers via the spinal cord to the brain.^[1] Nociception triggers a variety of physiological and behavioral responses to protect the organism against an aggression, and usually results in a subjective experience, or perception, of pain in sentient beings.^[2]

^ Portenoy, Russell K.; Brennan, Michael J. (1994). "Chronic Pain Management". In Good, David C.; Couch, James R. (eds.). Handbook of Neurorehabilitation. Informa Healthcare. ISBN 978-0-8247-8822-3. Archived from the original on 2020-10-24. Retrieved 2017-09-06.
^ Bayne, Kathryn (2000). "Assessing Pain and Distress: A Veterinary Behaviorist's Perspective". Definition of Pain and Distress and Reporting Requirements for Laboratory Animals: Proceedings of the Workshop Held June 22, 2000. National Academies Press. pp. 13–21. ISBN 978-0-309-17128-1. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2020.

[1] Portenoy, Russell K.; Brennan, Michael J. (1994). "Chronic Pain Management". In Good, David C.; Couch, James R. (eds.). Handbook of Neurorehabilitation. Informa Healthcare. ISBN 978-0-8247-8822-3. Archived from the original on 2020-10-24. Retrieved 2017-09-06.

[Bayne-2] Bayne, Kathryn (2000). "Assessing Pain and Distress: A Veterinary Behaviorist's Perspective". Definition of Pain and Distress and Reporting Requirements for Laboratory Animals: Proceedings of the Workshop Held June 22, 2000. National Academies Press. pp. 13–21. ISBN 978-0-309-17128-1. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2020.

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