The simulator shows a spinal dorsal horn circuit where A-beta touch fibers and A-delta/C-fiber pain afferents both synapse onto a shared inhibitory interneuron and a projection neuron, letting you see in real time how competing excitatory and inhibitory input determines how much pain signal reaches the brain.
Trigger a nociceptive (pain) signal, then add a touch/pressure signal of varying strength and timing to see how it excites the inhibitory interneuron and reduces the projection neuron's output. Try adjusting descending input from the brain to model attention, stress, or a simulated TENS stimulation pattern, and observe how the gate's net position shifts.
Sliders control A-beta touch fiber intensity, A-delta/C-fiber nociceptive intensity, relative signal timing/delay, and descending brain input strength (attention/stress), with a live readout of inhibitory interneuron activity and final projection neuron output.
A-beta touch fibers can conduct signals more than 30 times faster than unmyelinated C pain fibers, which is why a fast rub can physically beat a slow pain signal to the spinal gate and help close it before the pain message fully arrives.
The simulator shows a spinal dorsal horn circuit where A-beta touch fibers and A-delta/C-fiber pain afferents both synapse onto a shared inhibitory interneuron and a projection neuron, letting you see in real time how competing excitatory and inhibitory input determines how much pain signal reaches the brain.
The simulator shows a spinal dorsal horn circuit where A-beta touch fibers and A-delta/C-fiber pain afferents both synapse onto a shared inhibitory interneuron and a projection neuron, letting you see in real time how competing excitatory and inhibitory input determines how much pain signal reaches the brain.
Trigger a nociceptive (pain) signal, then add a touch/pressure signal of varying strength and timing to see how it excites the inhibitory interneuron and reduces the projection neuron's output. Try adjusting descending input from the brain to model attention, stress, or a simulated TENS stimulation pattern, and observe how the gate's net position shifts.
A-beta touch fibers can conduct signals more than 30 times faster than unmyelinated C pain fibers, which is why a fast rub can physically beat a slow pain signal to the spinal gate and help close it before the pain message fully arrives.