Nociceptor

Nociceptor
Four types of sensory neurons and their receptor cells. Nociceptors shown as free nerve endings type A
Identifiers
MeSHD009619
Anatomical terminology

A nociceptor (from Latin nocere 'to harm or hurt'; lit. 'pain receptor') is a sensory neuron that responds to damaging or potentially damaging stimuli by sending "possible threat" signals[1][2][3] to the spinal cord and the brain. The brain creates the sensation of pain to direct attention to the body part, so the threat can be mitigated; this process is called nociception.

  1. ^ "NOI - Neuro Orthopaedic Institute". www.noigroup.com. Archived from the original on 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2017-10-13.
  2. ^ "Nociception and pain: What is the difference and why does it matter? - Massage St. Louis, St. Louis, MO". www.massage-stlouis.com. Archived from the original on 2018-11-01. Retrieved 2017-10-13.
  3. ^ Animals NR (8 December 2017). Mechanisms of Pain. National Academies Press (US) – via www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.