Brain - feels no pain?

cuckoo

Last week on the radio a neurosurgeon (sp? ) from Beaumont was being interviewed about doing 'awake' brain surgery. It was fascinating listening, he was describing the challenges of waking someone up to check speech and movement brain centres, and there was also a patient who had undergone the surgery cheerfully talking about it.

One of the thing that really stuck with me is that he said that the brain itself feels no pain.

So, what causes head aches? And, brain freeze?

DrIndy

brain freeze is spasm of the blood vessels around the brain - headaches have a wide range of causes, commonly from muscle tension in the neck and muscles on the skull.

They can also be caused by vessel dilatation and spasm and for many people - its unknown

DrIndy

brain freeze is spasm of the blood vessels around the brain - headaches have a wide range of causes, commonly from muscle tension in the neck and muscles on the skull.

They can also be caused by vessel dilatation and spasm and for many people - its unknown

John

And that's why you call it a headache and not a brainache

(hi cuckoo!)

cuckoo

(hi John!)

So, why does it sometimes feel like a headache is inside the brain, ie 2/3 inches inside the skull? Imagination....?

Odysseus

Am I correct in saying that both the brain and the lung have no pain receptors? I was told this when it was being explained why my Dad was not in pain, he had tumours in both places.

AtomicHorror

cuckoo wrote: »

(hi John!)

So, why does it sometimes feel like a headache is inside the brain, ie 2/3 inches inside the skull? Imagination....?

Could be imaginary- sorta like phantom limb. Also possible that there are pain receptors in the vasculature (veins and arteries) that runs through the brain.