Gate control theory psychology. Gate Control Theory Essay Essay on Psychology, Theory 2022-10-03
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The gate control theory of pain is a psychological model that explains how the brain processes and perceives pain. According to this theory, pain is not a direct response to tissue damage, but rather a complex process that involves multiple pathways and interactions within the nervous system.
The theory was first proposed by Melzack and Wall in 1965, and it has since been widely accepted as a key model for understanding pain perception. According to the gate control theory, the brain contains a "gate" that controls the transmission of pain signals from the periphery to the central nervous system. This gate is located in the spinal cord and is influenced by various factors, including the intensity of the pain stimulus, the presence of other stimuli, and the individual's psychological and emotional state.
One of the key components of the gate control theory is the concept of selective attention. When we are exposed to multiple stimuli at the same time, the brain has to decide which ones are most important and should be processed first. This process is known as selective attention, and it helps us to filter out irrelevant or less important stimuli and focus on those that are most relevant to our current needs and goals.
According to the gate control theory, pain signals compete with other stimuli for processing in the brain, and the intensity of the pain signal determines how much attention it receives. For example, if we are in a lot of pain, the pain signal is likely to receive more attention and be perceived as more intense. On the other hand, if we are distracted by other stimuli, the pain signal may be less intense or even completely blocked from reaching our consciousness.
Another important aspect of the gate control theory is the role of cognitive and emotional factors in pain perception. Our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs about pain can significantly influence how we perceive and experience it. For example, if we have a negative attitude towards pain or if we are stressed or anxious, we may perceive pain as more intense and unpleasant. On the other hand, if we have a positive attitude towards pain or if we are relaxed and focused, we may be able to tolerate higher levels of pain without feeling as much discomfort.
Overall, the gate control theory provides a useful framework for understanding how the brain processes and perceives pain. It emphasizes the importance of both physiological and psychological factors in pain perception and highlights the role of selective attention and cognitive and emotional factors in influencing our experience of pain. This theory has had significant implications for the treatment of pain, particularly in the development of pain management strategies that take into account the psychological and emotional factors that contribute to pain perception.
Gate Control Theory Essay Essay on Psychology, Theory
The gate control theory of pain is a scientific theory about the psychological perception of pain. This case example shows how the experience of pain may change as information is processed in the brain. This seems to play a major role in achieving results - which is explained most readily by Learning to control chronic benign pain usually takes about ten classes at the Pain being an entirely personal experience, it is difficult to measure, but Melzack's McGill Pain Questionnare asks a number of directed questions to assess and categorize that experience. Nociceptive pain is the result of tissue damage or injury. This gate does not actually open and close like the gate on a fence, but simply allows pain signals to pass onto the brain when they are traveling on the small nerve fibers, and does not allow pain signals to pass when they are traveling on the larger fibers. Diabetes, limb amputation, and cancer are all conditions that can cause this type of pain. Take deep breaths, and focus on the movement of your breath throughout the body.
This reduction of negative input then reciprocates with a positive shift in output experienced as pain perception McAllister 2015. If you are anticipating pain, and only focused on pain, you are going to feel that pain. The output pattern produces multiple dimensions of awareness in addition to concurrent behavioural movements and homeostatic responses Melzack and Katz 2006. The gate for pain can be closed when non-pain signals such as temperature, touch, and pressure which are carried on large, myelinated fibers will cause an inhibition interneuron to activate, which in turn deactivates a projection neuron that effectively closes the gate to pain signals trying to come through. Pain is an unpleasant feeling that can range from mild to excruciating and is caused by diseased or injured tissues in the body.
Where is the gate in the gate control theory GCT of pain located? Perhaps someone develops low back pain that is constant in nature and limits the person's ability to move properly. These are areas of gray matter in the posterior spine that have a horn-like appearance. Patients are treated with the assumption that pain is present when they say it is and on the level that they say it is. Pain is transmitted to the spinal cord and the brain by primary afferent axons, which are nerve fibers that are connected to receptors in the skin, muscles, and organs. If a person is dwelling on the pain, the pain will be felt more than if the person is doing something distracting. Retrieved 27 April 2014. The synaptic connections between the cells of the primary- and secondary-order neurons located in the substantia gelatinosa and other Rexed laminae function as a pain gate.
Thus, the brain controls the perception of pain quite directly, and can be "trained" to turn off forms of pain that are not "useful". When the gates are open, small nerve fibers reach the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. This understanding led Melzack to assert that pain is in the brain. Pain signals encounter neurological gates at the spinal cord level, and these gates determine whether the pain signal reaches the brain or not. Melzack and Wall suggested that this process explains why we tend to rub injuries after they happen.
The neuromatrix is a successful theory that enables clinicians to effectively describe the mechanisms of phantom limb and chronic pain. Alternatively, if a force overcomes tissues in the body, causing an injury, pain will be a symptom. She also most recently earned her Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist certificate while studying and volunteering at the Cincinnati Nature Center. Another physical difference between the two types is myelination. The same neurons may also form synapses with an inhibitory interneuron that also synapses on the projection neuron, reducing the chance that the latter will fire and transmit pain stimuli to the excitatory connection with the inhibitory interneuron, thus decreasing the projection neuron's chance of firing like the C fiber, the Aβ fiber also has an excitatory connection on the projection neuron itself.
In the gate control theory, a closed "gate" describes when input to transmission cells is blocked, therefore reducing the sensation of pain. Pain is a unique subjective experienced that is influenced by factors such as cultural learning, personal significance of the situation and attention Melzack 2001. Reducing Pain Using the Gate-Control Theory The best thing that you can do for yourself, whether you are up against physical pain or emotional stress, is find ways to relax the body. When released, the dogs were excited, constantly ran around, and required several attempts to learn to avoid pain. A "burning pain" for instance, can be described as "hot" or even "searing".
If an injury occurs, the nociceptors will send electrical signals to the spinal cord and brain. It holds that painful impulses, which reach the neurons of the posterior horn, can be blocked by other sensory stimuli, which also reach these neurons, and by nerve impulses coming from the supraspinal nerve centers, which develop a pain modulating activity. In this case, there doesn't really need to be anything physical to produce pain; you only need to have the small nerve fibers send signals onto the brain to feel pain. Since it is impossible for one person to experience another's pain, it can only be described by the person experiencing it. All of these practices are not just What Keeps the Gates Open Focusing on pain keeps the gates open and allows more projection cells to reach the pain and communicate about your pain.
An example of this would be listening to music or watching television while having dental work done. Neurotags are inputs of continuous outflows of nerve impulses which is converted into a stream of awareness once it is projected onto the sentient neural hub in the brain Moseley 2003. The gate control theory of pain is a scientific theory about the psychological perception of pain. These axons vary in size and may be myelinated or unmyelinated. What if there was a gate in this pathway, and the gate only allowed certain messages to pass through the pathway at certain times? This would cause nerve fibers A-delta and C-fiber to open the gate and send the information to the brain that something is causing pain stimulation. Neuropathic pain occurs when there is damage to the nerves themselves. Inputs, generate nerve impulses that converge and diverge to create characteristic patterns, called neurotags Melzack 2001.
Thus, depending on the relative rates of firing of C and Aβ fibers, the firing of the nonnociceptive fiber may inhibit the firing of the projection neuron and the transmission of pain stimuli. When it was first proposed in 1965, the theory was met with considerable skepticism. Leaving the area alone or sitting idle prevents the gate from being closed. Thus, the feeling of pain in your body is multi-factorial: it occurs as a result of all of your past experiences and future expectations mashing into each other in your complex brain. A patient, in the questionnare, picks one of 20 set of words to describe their pain, and assign it a point on a scale. Small and large nerve fibers synapse on projection cells P to the brain and on inhibitory interneurons I within the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. This theory provided a neural basis which reconciled the specificity and pattern theories -- and ultimately revolutionized pain research.
These primary afferent axons are classified into groups based on their size; these groups are known as A-alpha, A-beta, A-delta, and C-nerve fibers. Diabetes, limb amputation, and cancer are all conditions that can cause this type of pain. Large, myelinated nerve fibers known as type A fibers A-alpha, A-beta, A-delta will carry non-pain signals such as touch, pressure, and temperature changes very quickly to the brain. What is the Gate Control Theory of Pain? This type of pain can be temporary when nerve function is restored, or it can come and go if there are underlying conditions that act on the nerves. This activates the projection neuron P and the inhibitory interneuron I , which blocks the signal in the projection neuron P to the brain.
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