Gate control theory suggests that the spinal cord contains a neurological 'gate' that either blocks pain signals or allows them to continue on to the brain. Unlike an actual gate, which opens and ...

The gate control theory of pain, put forward by Ron Melzack and Patrick Wall in 1962, is the idea that physical pain is not a direct result of activation of pain receptor neurons, but rather its ...

The spinal cord transmits pain signals to the brain, where they are consciously perceived. But not all the impulses arrive at their destination: Certain neurons act as checkpoints and determine ...