Neurotransmitters in Pain and Skeletal Muscle Contraction: A Review

This report delves into the critical role of neurotransmitters in both pain pathways and skeletal muscle contraction. It begins by examining the processes of nociception, including transduction, perception, modulation, and transmission, highlighting the involvement of specific neurotransmitters like glutamate, bradykinin, adenosine triphosphate, substance P, and nitric acid within the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. The report also explores the mechanisms of skeletal muscle contraction, focusing on the function of acetylcholine as the primary neurotransmitter facilitating the communication between motor neurons and muscle fibers. The report also includes citations from scholarly articles, providing a comprehensive overview of the subject matter.

Neurotransmitters

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Clinical significance.........................................................................................................................1
1. Different pain pathways..........................................................................................................1
2. Skeletal muscle contraction.....................................................................................................1
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................2

Clinical significance
1. Different pain pathways
Pain is considered as essential function of the central nervous system that helps in
providing a sort of warning about the injury, whether it may be actual or potential (Baron, Binder
and Wasner, 2010). Basic processing of pain can be classified as nociception which further
involves processes such as transduction, perception, modulation and transmission. There are
various nociceptors involves on the basis of structures such as somatic, visceral etc. There are
some delta fibres in the spinal cord as C fibre and A delta fibres also terminates in the dorsal
horn. The transmission of pain impulses is done from the synaptic cleft to the NDHN and then,
the release of some neurotransmitters happens. These neurotransmitters involve glutamate,
bradykinin, adenosine triphosphate, substance P and nitric acid. The released transmitters are
bound with some receptors from the specific set in the NDHN.
2. Skeletal muscle contraction
The skeletal muscle tissue consists of various cells which are known as the muscle fibres
(Barres and et.al., 2012). It is the responsibility of the motor neuron to deliver the message and it
is achieved when the signal from the nervous system meets the neuromuscular junction. That
specific message meets the receptors externally of the muscle fibres and then a chemical reaction
starts. This is achieved by a neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. It is considered as an organic
chemical that helps in performing the functions inside the brain. It is also referred as an ester of
choline and acetic acid (Morimoto and et.al., 2013).
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Baron, R., Binder, A. and Wasner, G., 2010. Neuropathic pain: diagnosis, pathophysiological
mechanisms, and treatment. The Lancet Neurology. 9(8). pp.807-819.
Barres, R. and et.al., 2012. Acute exercise remodels promoter methylation in human skeletal
muscle. Cell metabolism. 15(3). pp.405-411.
Morimoto, Y. and et.al., 2013. Three-dimensional neuron–muscle constructs with neuromuscular
junctions. Biomaterials. 34(37). pp.9413-9419.
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