Nociceptors and thermoreceptors (free nerve endings)
Receptor or cortex · A-delta C
Unencapsulated free nerve endings in skin, muscle and viscera respond to noxious mechanical, thermal and chemical stimuli and to temperature. They signal on thinly myelinated A-delta fibres (fast, sharp first pain and cold) and unmyelinated C fibres (slow, burning second pain, warmth and itch); cell bodies are in the dorsal root ganglion.
Detail
- Modalities
- Pain, temperature, crude touch, itch
- Fibres
- A-delta (sharp first pain, cold) and C (burning second pain, warmth)
- Cell body
- Dorsal root ganglion
When it goes wrong
Small-fibre neuropathy (diabetes, amyloid, HIV)
Burning feet with loss of pinprick and temperature sensation but preserved vibration, joint position sense and reflexes
Practise this structure
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