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By: Allyson Pain and the Brain You have created a memory associated with the pain of being pricked by a safety pin. Because of this, as you hold this pin, you are not pricking yourself with. The brain creates memories that allow us to remember the prick we feel when we touch the end and keeps us from having to re-learn this. However, when we put our hand on a hot stove element, our brain creates a neural network which creates an automatic reflex and retraction when touched. In this situation, this reflex involves the spinal cord and in this situation, your hand would move away from the element before information from the accident reached your brain. If you were to squeeze a cotton ball, it would not hurt. This is because nociceptors in your hand would not fire. If you were to squeeze a sharp rock, nociceptors in your hand would fire, sending the information to your brain which would emit the sensation of pain. Myers, David G.. (2007). Psychology (8th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers. Jacques, Erica. (2009). How We Feel Pain. Health’s Disease and Condition. Retrieved from http://pain.about.com/od/whatischronicpai n/a/feeling _pain.htm. + Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis (CIPA) To be simply put, CIPA is the inability to feel pain, heat, cold or any other nerve-related sensations. Cause: CIPA is a genetically transmitted mutation, and it is autosomal recessive. This gene mutation is in the gene encoding the neurotrophic tyrosine kinase. + • Patients that have this disorder commonly injure themselves without even noticing because they cannot tell when they are hurt. • During hot weather conditions, they may get hypothermia because of the inability to sweat. • Infection, scarring, bruising and deformities are common for victims of this disease. + • Patients with CIPA typically lack unmyelinated and small myelinated nerve fibers in the dorsal root ganglion. • These can both explain the unresponsiveness to pain signals. + • Naloxone may be used as a treatment, however it does not always work. • It is a chemical that works to mend the inactions throughout the groups of nerve cells that produce the sensation of hot, cold and also pain. Sensations of Touch: Cold How Do We Feel Cold? There are about 50 Touch Receptors per square inch of skin. Some of these are dedicated to detecting cold. Interestingly enough, there are roughly 4 times as many cold receptors as there are heat. When do we feel cold? Heat and cold receptors are properly called thermo receptors. Cold receptors start detecting cold at below 35 degrees Celsius, because the core body temperature is 37 degrees Celsius. Consequences of Damaging Our Thermo receptors Once the area of our body affected with cold hits five degrees Celsius, our cold receptors stop operating. Unlike with heat pain never sets in, that is why we go numb- there is no feeling. Damage to our cold receptors can be consequential. ( Lacerated feet, fingertips etc.) Why Do We Experience Mixed Signals? Hands have many sensory receptors and they all receive different sensations. Some receive feelings of hot and others feelings of cold. Because our hands have both warm and cold thermo receptors, signals can get mixed and when our hand is immersed in hot water it can feel ice cold. Sometimes it takes the brain seconds to correct it or sometimes even minutes. Bibliography David G.. (2007). Psychology (8th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers. LoneSwimmer. (2011). How We Feel Cold. LoneSwimmer. Retrieved from http://loneswimmer.com/2011/06/06/how-wefeel-cold-water/. http://www.google.ca/imgres?num=10&hl=en&biw=1140&bih=54 1&tbm=isch&tbnid=SBu8deJvOngteM:&imgrefurl=http://www.giv e2thetroops.org/BeattheHeat.htm&docid=ldIaO2gf00E1tM&imgur l=http://www.give2thetroops.org/images/heat_injury.jpg&w=288 &h=303&ei=QRR8ULmqE5KK0QG1koBw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=1 &sig=102408289384430492558&page=3&tbnh=137&tbnw=130&s tart=30&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:20,i:232&tx=78&ty=62 Warmth is one of the four basic forms of touch that one’s body can process. Without it, one would be incapable of knowing whether a climate or object is an intolerably high temperature. One would probably suffer from burns or other damage if they could not sense warmth. This is why it is beneficial for extreme heat to be painful and intolerable to people. Heat is a form of energy that can radiate between different objects. The sun creates heat during nuclear fusion that radiates to the planets surrounding it. This energy is what keeps the Earth able to sustain life as it is its primary source of energy. References • David G.. (2007). Psychology (8th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers. • Heat. (2012, October 11). Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat -Without pressure, we would not be able to do things like walk or stand. -Pressure affects our bodies everyday through gravity. -We unconsciously use force throughout the body to counteract the pressure from gravity. -Too much pressure or weight on a body is dangerous. -Using weights in a work out puts pressure on the body. Pace yourself. -Pressure points are found throughout your body. -These 'points' have very diverse affects on your body, like itching, numbing, or can even knock you out. -Can either help or hinder your well being (ex. acupuncture, martial arts, physical therapy). David G.. (2007). Psychology (8th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers. Gravity Hurts (so Good),August 2, 2001, http://science.nasa.gov/sciencenews/science-at-nasa/2001/ast02aug_1/ Human Pressure Points, October 15, 2012, http://www.karate-shotokankata.com/human-pressure-points.html