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Are there separate central nervous system pathways for touch and pain?

Nature Medicine volume 1, pages 766–773 (1995)Cite this article

Abstract

Information about bodily events is conveyed by primary sensory fibres to higher brain centres through neurons in the dorsal column nuclei (DCN) and spinal dorsal horn. The DCN route is commonly considered a ‘touch pathway’, separate from the spinal ‘pain pathway’, in part because DCN neurons respond to gentle tactile stimulation of small skin areas. Here we report that DCN neurons can additionally respond to gentle and noxious stimulation of viscera and widespread skin regions. These and other experimental and clinical data suggest that the DCN and spinal routes cooperate, rather than operate separately, to produce the many perceptions of touch and pain, an ensemble view that encourages novel approaches to health care and research.

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Author notes

  1. Karen J. Berkley & Charles H. Hubscher

    Present address: Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32610-0144, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 32306-1051, USA

    Charles H. Hubscher

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  1. Karen J. Berkley
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Berkley, K., Hubscher, C. Are there separate central nervous system pathways for touch and pain?. Nat Med 1, 766–773 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0895-766

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