Congenital analgesia
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Congenital analgesia
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[post_date] => 2024-12-26 11:01:24
[post_date_gmt] => 2024-12-26 16:01:24
[post_content] => Practice Passage (Question 1-5)
*This passage is the property of Khan Academy and has been reformatted into an AAMC-style interface in their entirety by MedLife Mastery. MedLife Mastery does not endorse and is not an affiliate of Khan Academy.
Congential insensitivity to pain, or congenital analgesia, is a condition in which individuals cannot appropriately sense painful stimuli. Some of these individuals cannot perceive painful stimuli at all (a condition called insensitivity to pain) while others can perceive pain, but cannot appropriately respond (a condition called indifference to pain). Patients can acknowledge and sense that they are coming into contact with stimuli, but do not feel pain. Because of this congenital analgesia is an extremely dangerous condition; the inability to perceive or react to painful stimuli can lead to severe burns, lacerations, or other injuries, which can result in deadly infections or disease if wounds are left untreated.
In a study conducted on sensation and perception, researchers sought to determine the sensory thresholds of individuals with indifference to pain (IP group) as compared to individuals with normal sensitivity to pain (control group) . Each participant was exposed to changes in temperature, and asked to detect when the change occurred and how drastic the temperature change was. The mean results from each group are outlined in Table 1.
Table 1
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[question] => What would occur if the nerves connecting thermoceptors and mechanoreceptors to the brain converged into one nerve?
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[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
If nerves containing information from different sensory modalities converged, it would be difficult to distinguish the various sensory information.
Mechanoreceptors are pressure sensitive.
Since shaking hands activates mechanoreceptors, and the nerve carrying the pressure information to the brain converged with a nerve that normally carries temperature information to the brain, the brain would be misled into thinking that there is a change in temperature as well as a change in pressure somewhere in the body.
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[answers] => Array
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. The sensation of one’s body in space would be slightly altered.
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[each_answer] => B. No pain would be felt after stubbing a toe on a table.
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[each_answer] => C. A burning sensation would be felt upon shaking someone’s hand.
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[each_answer] => D. A tingling sensation would be felt when walking barefooted on carpet.
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[1] => Array
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[question] => What control experiment would be necessary to run in conjunction to the experimental condition?
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[answer] => 3
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
A control experiment in this case would seek to show that other sensory modalities are intact in individuals lacking thermoceptors.
Objective quantifiable data is preferred over subjective data.
Obtaining reaction times to changes in pressure would rule out the possibility that the afflicted individuals simply have universally slower reaction times and decreased receptor sensitivity.
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[each_answer] => A. Determine mean subjective pain responses of IP and control group individuals to changes in temperature.
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[each_answer] => B. Determine the mean response time to flashes of light in the right and left visual field as a measure of sensory ability.
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[each_answer] => C. Determine mean reaction times of IP and control group individuals to changes in pressure that are not temperature related.
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[each_answer] => D. Determine the mean sensory thresholds of Ip and control group individuals for small changes in temperature.
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[2] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 83407773
[question] => Why might the individuals from the IP group be able to sense changes in temperature at all?
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[answer] => 3
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
There is a relationship between temperature and pressure – changes in one causes corresponding changes in the other.
Nociceptors are pain receptors that are also sensitive to temperature.
Since changes in temperature can cause changes in pressure inside various sensory cells, some of which contain pressure receptors, changes in heat can cause activation of pressure receptors.
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[each_answer] => A. Because changes in temperature cause nociceptors to deactivate, which leads to sensation.
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[each_answer] => B. Because changes in temperature cause proprioceptors to activate, which leads to sensation.
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[each_answer] => C. Because changes in temperature cause corresponding changes in pressure, which leads to sensation.
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[each_answer] => D. Because changes in temperature causes thermoceptors in the skin to activate, which leads to sensation.
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[quiz_unique_key] => 2261298308
[question] => Which of the following physical activities would be best for an individual with congenital analgesia?
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[answer] => 3
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
Individuals with congenital analgesia need to be very careful about preventing injury.
While flexibility is helpful, individuals may not be able to sense that they are going beyond their ability, which could result in muscle or bone injuries.
Endurance exercises can also be problematic because of their tendency to wear down joints, as well as their tendency to rapidly increase body temperature.
Low impact exercises that control for temperature (like swimming) are best and safest for individuals with congenital analgesia.
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[each_answer] => A. Flexibility exercises like yoga
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[each_answer] => B. Strength activities like lifting weights
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[each_answer] => C. Low impact exercises like swimming
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[each_answer] => D. Endurance activities like running
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[question] => Which of the following medical issues is most likely to be a problem for an individual with congenital analgesia?
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[answer] => 3
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
Individuals with congenital analgesia are still able to think and feel like an individual without the disorder.
Congenital analgesia is linked to increased fractures and bone injuries, but these are because of inability to sense pain, not osteoporosis.
Congenital analgesia involves the inability to sense pain or temperature; anhidrosis is the inability to sweat. People with congenital analgesia are missing nerve fibers that connect information about heat or pain to the brain, so they often cannot sweat.
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[answers] => Array
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. Osteoporosis
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[each_answer] => B. Psychopathy
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[2] => Array
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[each_answer] => C. Anhidrosis
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[each_answer] => D. Sleep apnea
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