Which body part has no pain?

The brain itself does not feel pain because there are no nociceptors located in brain tissue itself. This feature explains why neurosurgeons can operate on brain tissue without causing a patient discomfort, and, in some cases, can even perform surgery while the patient is awake.

brainfacts.org - If the brain can't feel pain, why do I get headaches? - BrainFacts

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If the brain can't feel pain, why do I get headaches?

Published 24 Sep 2014

Reviewed 24 Sep 2014

Author Allan Basbaum, PhD, FRS

The pain experience for all of us begins when unpleasant stimuli activate sensory nerve fibers called nociceptors. These specialized fibers — which are located in skin, muscles, joints, and some organs — transmit pain signals from the periphery to the brain, where the message of pain is ultimately perceived. The brain itself does not feel pain because there are no nociceptors located in brain tissue itself. This feature explains why neurosurgeons can operate on brain tissue without causing a patient discomfort, and, in some cases, can even perform surgery while the patient is awake. Headaches, however, are a different story. Though your brain does not have nociceptors, there are nociceptors in layers of tissue known as the dura and pia that serve as a protective shield between the brain and the skull. In some situations, chemicals released from blood vessels near the dura and pia can activate nociceptors, resulting in headaches, such as migraines. Increased blood flow can also trigger a migraine, which is why migraines are considered vascular headaches. Migraine headaches are often throbbing and are accompanied by hypersensitivity to light, sound, and touch. The more common tension-type headaches do not share migraine features. Although nociceptors are undoubtedly activated in tension-type headaches — in part, from the excessive contraction of muscles — other triggers that engage these nociceptors remain unknown. A very important characteristic of tension-type headaches is that they are increased significantly in stressful situations, presumably by sensitizing pain circuits in the brain. A major difficulty in the development of new therapies for headache is that there are no animal models that can distinguish between these types of headaches. Nevertheless, scientists are hopeful that their growing knowledge of the unique chemical factors that activate nociceptors in the head (compared to the rest of the body) will lead to the development of new drugs that are particularly effective in alleviating the symptoms of the most common headaches, as well as migraine. About the Author Allan Basbaum, PhD, FRS Allan I. Basbaum, professor and chair of the Anatomy Department at University of California, San Francisco, trained with Ronald Melzack and Patrick Wall, two pioneers in the world of pain research. Allan’s interest is in the mechanisms through which tissue and nerve injury lead to persistent pain and the development of novel approaches to pain management. References Diener HC, Dodick DW, Goadsby PJ, Lipton RB, Olesen J, et al. Chronic migraine — classification, characteristics and treatment. Nature Reviews Neurology. 8:162-171 (2012). Andreou AP, Summ O, Charbit AR, Romero-Reyes M, Goadsby PJ. Animal models of headache: from bedside to bench and back to bedside. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics. 10:389-411 (2010). Cathcart S, Petkov J, Winefield AH, Lushington K, Rolan P. Central mechanisms of stress-induced headache. Cephalalgia. 30:285-95 (2010). Ask an Expert BrainFacts.org welcomes all your brain-related questions. Every month, we choose one reader question and get an answer from a top neuroscientist. Always been curious about something? Submit Your Question

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Are women's legs naturally stronger than men's?

Women are often teased as the 'weaker' sex due to the softer muscle mass and build. However, women's built is such that muscle mass is denser in the lower part of the body that is equally strong to a man's, in some women even stronger.

beyondpinkworld.com - Women's Legs Can Produce Same Force As Man's: Study

BP World Bureau | Mar 02 2020

Women are often teased as the ‘weaker’ sex due to the softer muscle mass and build. However, women's built is such that muscle mass is denser in the lower part of the body that is equally strong to a man’s, in some women even stronger. A study published in the journal The Royal Society Publishing revealed that a unit of a physically fit woman’s muscles can produce the same force as that of her male counterpart who is similarly fit. Because women have dense muscles in the lower part of the body, they can produce the same force as that of the man with her legs. The strong lower part is meant to help women carry babies in the womb who are as heavy as 1-3kgs.

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