Dorsal Horn Neurons

[michael edward badolato jr]

Dorsal horn neurons receive sensory information from primary afferents that innervate the skin and deeper tissues of the body and that respond to specific types of noxious and non-noxious stimuli. These afferents terminate in the dorsal horn with a distribution pattern that is determined by their sensory modality and the region of the body that they innervate. The incoming information is processed by complex circuits involving excitatory and inhibitory interneurons, and transmitted to projection neurons for relay to several brain areas. In addition, nociceptive information is conveyed to the ventral horn and contributes to spinally-mediated nocifensive reflexes1. Activity at various points in these circuits can be modulated by axons that descend from the brainstem.