Craig A D
Atkinson Pain Research Laboratory, Barrow Neurological Institute, 350 West Thomas Road, Phoenix, AZ 85013, USA.
Trends Neurosci. 2003 Jun;26(6):303-7. doi: 10.1016/s0166-2236(03)00123-1.
Pain is conventionally viewed as a pattern of convergent activity within the somatosensory system that represents the exteroceptive sense of touch. Accumulating functional, anatomical and imaging findings indicate that pain is generated by specific sensory channels that ascend in a central homeostatic afferent pathway. Phylogenetically new thalamocortical projections in primates provide a sensory image of the physiological condition of the body and, in addition, direct activation of limbic motor cortex. These findings indicate that the human feeling of pain is both a distinct sensation and a motivation - that is, a specific emotion that reflects homeostatic behavioral drive, similar to temperature, itch, hunger and thirst.
传统上，疼痛被视为躯体感觉系统内的一种汇聚活动模式，该系统代表触觉的外部感受。越来越多的功能、解剖学和影像学研究结果表明，疼痛是由在中枢稳态传入通路中上行的特定感觉通道产生的。灵长类动物进化过程中出现的新的丘脑皮质投射提供了身体生理状况的感觉图像，此外，还能直接激活边缘运动皮层。这些发现表明，人类的疼痛感既是一种独特的感觉，也是一种动机——也就是说，是一种反映稳态行为驱动力的特定情绪，类似于温度、瘙痒、饥饿和口渴。
