Understanding Pain and its Variability

What is pain?

• A pleasant sensory and emotional experience

• An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience

• A neutral sensory and emotional experience

• A physical sensation without emotional involvement

How can different people experience pain differently?

• Due to variations in tissue damage

• Due to differences in pain intensity

• Due to variations in brain circuits and sensitivity

• Due to differences in pain character

Which part of the brain decides what to do with the pain signal?

• Cortex

• Spinal cord

• Salience network

• Motor pathways

What is the purpose of the salience network?

• To regulate and reduce pain

• To activate motor pathways

• To decide what to pay attention to

• To deliver endorphins and enkephalins

Which networks are activated to cope with pain?

• Motor pathways

• Modulation networks

• Salience network

• Sensing pathway

What are endorphins and enkephalins?

• Chemicals released during extreme exercise

• Chemicals released during sleep

• Chemicals released during relaxation

• Chemicals released during digestion

What are some methods to cope with pain?

• Taking non-prescription medications

• Using distraction and relaxation techniques

• Undergoing cognitive behavioral therapy

• All of the above

What is chronic pain?

• Pain that lasts for a short duration

• Pain that is caused by severe tissue damage

• Pain that doesn't go away for months

• Pain that is easily treatable

What is the traditional approach to testing treatments for pain?

• Testing on individual patients

• Testing on large groups of patients

• Testing on animals

• Testing on healthy individuals

What is the key to finding the best treatment for pain?

• Developing new medications

• Mapping brain pathways

• Using cognitive behavioral therapy

• Stimulating pain-sensing attention networks