So when you get hurt, the electrical impulses from thicker nociceptors trigger sharp, intense pain, while thin, unmyelinated nociceptors are responsible for the dull, aching pain that follows.
When you step on a nail, for example, you stimulate nociceptors, or specialized nerve cells, that send a message through your spinal cord to your brain.
And then we've got specialized nerve receptors called nociceptors that, unlike those other receptors, fire only to indicate pain, which is the main thing I want to talk about today.
Their pain receptors, called nociceptors, trigger in response, cueing the brain to release a flood of neuropeptides that inflame the cranial blood vessels, swelling and heating up the head.
Since you mainly use your fingers and your hands to feel the world around you, they’re full of nociceptors, pain receptors that respond to things like pressure and temperature.
That is, the point where a stimulus is intense enough to trigger action potentials in those nociceptors is the same for everybody. But, you and I might have different tolerances for discomfort.
When you accidentally touch a hot stove or try to walk on a sprained ankle, special pain sensing nerves called nociceptors are triggered to send neuro messages up your spine and into your brain.