Bypassing the Brain: The Emergency Wiring of the Nociceptive Reflex

If you accidentally place your hand on a glowing red-hot stove, you will instantly yank your arm back. Only a fraction of a second after your hand is safely away do you actually feel the agonizing pain. This out-of-order sequence is the brilliance of the Nociceptive Withdrawal Reflex. If the pain signal had to travel all the way up your arm, into your brain, be consciously processed, and then a ...