General Discussion

can I be added to the pinglist? :D

also, I have a question that I hope you can answer. How does our brain tell us that we feel pain in wherever we get hurt? it doesn't really feel like the pain is our brain telling us we're hurt, it just feels like hurt.

for example, if you hit your toe on a table (ow), you would be like "ow my toe", not "oh my god brain, why did you make me feel that" because you don't really feel like it's coming from your brain.

can the nerves feel? i only know that nerves tell us that we hurt of that we're touching something, but do the nerves themselves hurt??? do the nerves have tiny brains that tell them that they hurt and should go tell the brain about it??

I don't even know what I'm asking about anymore.

just explain the brain and nerves. and pain. please. :')

edit: I wanted to add something. I pressed edit, forgot what it was.
bleh.

[quote name="floofthe2nd" date="2019-03-07 06:29:07" ] can I be added to the pinglist? :D also, I have a question that I hope you can answer. How does our brain tell us that we feel pain in wherever we get hurt? it doesn't really feel like the pain is our brain telling us we're hurt, it just feels like hurt. for example, if you hit your toe on a table (ow), you would be like "ow my toe", not "oh my god brain, why did you make me feel that" because you don't really feel like it's coming from your brain. [/quote] @floofthe2nd Now you're moving from Science into Philosophy of Mind. When you feel pain, that is called "Qualia", which refers to the introspectively accessible, phenomenal aspects of our mental lives. I could have access to literally every single physical fact about your brain, watching a screen light up with activity as your neurons fire. But none of that information will tell me what it is like to feel pain, especially not [b]Your[/b] experience of the sensation. And all that ties back into the 'Hard Problem of Conciousness'. Science, and especially Neuroscience is really quiet when it comes to the subject since it deals wholly with that which can only be know 'Subjectivley' and not 'Objectivley'. I'd reccommend this TED talk by David Chalmers, the Philosopher who came up with the Hard Problem. : https://youtu.be/uhRhtFFhNzQ

@ribbonz I’d like to be pinged!

@floofthe2nd
The sensation of pain comes from sensory receptors known as nociceptors. The process of nociception is quite involved and complex, and it is not my particular specialty in neuroscience, but your brain recognizes pain in a specific area due to nociceptors. These sensations would travel to the brain from the spinal cord, just the same as the feelings of temperature or pressure or any other "feeling." Opioids and types of anesthesia like nerve blocks/epidurals work by blocking out nociception via different mechanisms. The name "endorphin" actually is a shortened version of "endogenous morphine", because our brain/body has the ability to make its own analgesics.

Also, if you are interested in toxicology, @Herico provided a link to a fascinating article about how Deathcap mushrooms' toxins destroy the liver in the DeathCap Mushroom thread on this forum. A wonderful dose of daily science!

@DarthT15 @Hypercoaster
this is a late thank you for DarthT15 (that ping probably got buried ages ago, whoops), but dang, thanks for answering my question! :D I feel a bit dumb. I should've done my own research before asking. I'll be sure to check out those links! thanks so much you two!

pinglist please!

Can I get a pinglist? Those facts are awesome!

could I get on the pinglist too? thank you!

hmu with that pinglist! environmental science major here