Transmission refers to the conduction of the pain signal from the nociceptor to which structures?

Transmission refers to the conduction of the pain signal from the nociceptor to which structures?

• A. peripheral -> spinal cord -> brain
• B. brain -> spinal cord -> peripheral
• C. spinal cord -> brain -> peripheral
• D. peripheral only

Answer: (A)

Transmission describes the conduction of the pain signal from the site of nociception in the periphery through the central nervous system. Nociceptors send impulses via primary afferent neurons whose cell bodies are in the dorsal root (or trigeminal) ganglion, carrying the signal to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. From there, second-order neurons relay the information upward via pathways like the spinothalamic tract to the brain, where perception occurs. So the proper sequence is peripheral → spinal cord → brain. The alternative pathways imply the wrong direction (brain to periphery or only peripheral), which doesn’t describe how the pain signal travels from the receptor to central processing.

Transmission describes the conduction of the pain signal from the site of nociception in the periphery through the central nervous system. Nociceptors send impulses via primary afferent neurons whose cell bodies are in the dorsal root (or trigeminal) ganglion, carrying the signal to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. From there, second-order neurons relay the information upward via pathways like the spinothalamic tract to the brain, where perception occurs. So the proper sequence is peripheral → spinal cord → brain. The alternative pathways imply the wrong direction (brain to periphery or only peripheral), which doesn’t describe how the pain signal travels from the receptor to central processing.