Medical Pain and the brain/consciousness

  • Thread starter Thread starter bioquest
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Pain
AI Thread Summary
Pain can indeed cause loss of consciousness through a phenomenon known as vasovagal syncope. This occurs when a painful stimulus triggers a cardioinhibitory or vasodilatory response, resulting in a significant drop in heart rate or blood pressure, which can lead to fainting. The discussion also speculates that this response may be an evolutionary adaptation, akin to a "playing dead" mechanism in response to danger.
bioquest
Messages
319
Reaction score
0
Does/can pain itself cause loss of consciousness- why?/how thanks
 
Biology news on Phys.org
Yes, you can have a vasovagal syncope in response to a pain stimulus. The cardioinhibitory or vasodilatory response results in a drop in heart rate or blood pressure, leading to fainting.

I don't really know why your body responds in such a way, my speculation is that it might be our evolutionary-left-over way of playing dead in a dangerous situation?
 

Thread 'Chagas disease now established in US'

Chagas disease, long considered only a threat abroad, is established in California and the Southern U.S. According to articles in the Los Angeles Times, "Chagas disease, long considered only a threat abroad, is established in California and the Southern U.S.", and "Kissing bugs bring deadly disease to California". LA Times requires a subscription. Related article -...
View full post »

Thread 'I need help understanding this quote about recent Natural Selection'

I am reading Nicholas Wade's book A Troublesome Inheritance. Please let's not make this thread a critique about the merits or demerits of the book. This thread is my attempt to understanding the evidence that Natural Selection in the human genome was recent and regional. On Page 103 of A Troublesome Inheritance, Wade writes the following: "The regional nature of selection was first made evident in a genomewide scan undertaken by Jonathan Pritchard, a population geneticist at the...
View full post »

Thread 'Fermentation using mixed legume and grain feedstock'

I use ethanol for cleaning glassware and resin 3D prints. The glassware is sometimes used for food. If possible, I'd prefer to only keep one grade of ethanol on hand. I've made sugar mash, but that is hardly the least expensive feedstock for ethanol. I had given some thought to using wheat flour, and for this I would need a source for amylase enzyme (relevant data, but not the core question). I am now considering animal feed that I have access to for 20 cents per pound. This is a...
View full post »

Similar threads

What happens in the brain when we feel pleasure or pain?
Replies
7
Views
2K
Medical How to measure pain objectively?
Replies
4
Views
2K
Medical How long does it take for the brain to recognize pain?
Replies
19
Views
10K
Epothilone B study connected to 'Hard Problem of Consciousness' Model
Replies
5
Views
2K
Medical Why Does Pain Occur During a Coronary Artery Block?
Replies
2
Views
1K
Using Destructive Interference to Treat Tinnitus
Replies
32
Views
2K
Open Label Placebos: How Starting a Treatment Can Still Produce Pain Relief
Replies
2
Views
1K
Medical How would Physical Exertion Affect a Flail Chest?
Replies
10
Views
3K
Are Quantum Processes Responsible for Brain Functions and Consciousness?
Replies
6
Views
2K
Understanding Pain Threshold: Measuring Pain and its Units
Replies
26
Views
5K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top