Upon receipt in the dorsal horn (DH) of the spinal cord, nociceptive (pain-signalling)
information from the viscera, skin and other organs is subject to extensive processing by a …

The dorsal horn of the spinal cord is the location of the first synapse in pain pathways, and
as such, offers a very powerful target for regulation of nociceptive transmission by both local …

Descending controls, comprising pathways that originate in midbrain and brainstem regions
and project onto the spinal cord, have long been recognised as key links in the multiple …

The treatment and management of chronic pain is a major challenge for clinicians. Chronic
pain is often underdiagnosed and undertreated, and there is a lack of awareness of the …

Our knowledge of the existence of endogenous descending pain modulatory systems spans
at least three decades and we now know that brain stem descending pathways constitute a …

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews that the magnitude of the ascending nociceptive
signal and the consequent pain sensation can be greatly influenced by descending …

Although interest in descending modulation of spinal cord function dates back to the time of
Sherrington, the modern era began in the late 1960s when it was shown that focal electrical …

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the anatomy and physiology of descending
control of nociceptive responses of dorsal horn neurons. Sensory pathways in vertebrates …

Preclinical studies coupled with clinical pharmacologic and neuroimaging investigations
have advanced our understanding of brain circuits that modulate pain. Descending pain …

Highlights•Descending pathways play a critical role in the central modulation of pain.•A
particular descending PAG–RVM pathway mediates the phenomenon of stress-induced …