Toward a theory of pain: Relief of chronic pain by prefrontal leucotomy, opiates, placebos, and hypnosis

Research concerned with the neurological correlates of the pain response and how this response can be mitigated or eliminated by various clinical procedures permit several tentative conclusions: (a) pain producing stimuli activate a variety of nerve fibers rather than activating specific "pain&...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological bulletin 1959-11, Vol.56 (6), p.430-460
Main Author: Barber, Theodore X
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chronic Pain
Human
Humans
Hypnosis
Neurology
Old Medline
Opiates
Pain - physiology
Placebo
Psychosurgery
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Summary:Research concerned with the neurological correlates of the pain response and how this response can be mitigated or eliminated by various clinical procedures permit several tentative conclusions: (a) pain producing stimuli activate a variety of nerve fibers rather than activating specific "pain" nerve pathways. (b) Pain producing stimuli set off patterns of neural impulses which are different from those produced by other stimuli. (c) Discomfit due to pain is not necessarily present when the noxious stimulus has been discriminated. Discomfit can be eliminated by various clinical procedures without necessarily altering the sensation of pain. (d) Mitigation of discomfort by clinical procedures appears to be secondary to their more generalized effect, i.e., anxiety reduction. 174-item bibliog.
ISSN:0033-2909
1939-1455
DOI:10.1037/h0046676