Joukje Oo
Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Psych
Victore Victor Mad
Department of Dentistry - Radbo
Behavioural Science I
and the
Adult Human Brain,
Amanda Rebbechi 2000
, WHAT IS PAIN?
Nociception: the neural processes of encoding and processing noxious stimuli
Noxious stimulus: an actually or potentially tissue damaging event
, WHAT IS PAIN? UPDATED DEFINITION IASP 2020
The new definition states that pain is:
“An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, o
resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage”
six key notes and the etymology of the word pain for further valuable context:
• Pain is always a personal experience that is influenced to varying degrees by biological, psychological,
social factors;
• Pain and nociception are different phenomena. Pain cannot be inferred solely from activity in sensory
neurons;
• Through their life experiences, individuals learn the concept of pain;
• A person’s report of an experience as pain should be respected;
• Although pain usually serves an adaptive role, it may have adverse effects on function and social
and psychological well-being;
• Verbal description is only one of several behaviors to express pain; inability to communicate does
not negate the possibility that a human or a nonhuman animal experiences pain.
, ACUTE VERSUS CHRONIC PAIN
https://europeanpainfederation.eu/what-is-pain/