Integración de sistemas en la fisiología del dolor Versión imprimible

De Dolopedia

- Enlaces de interés : Conceptos a tener en cuenta a la hora de comprender los mecanismos del dolor

- A human being is an open, living, adaptive system that pursues the dual objectives of adaptation to the environment and survival. The term system denotes a set of components constituting a whole within which each component interacts with or is related to at least 1 other component, and all components serve a common objective. Every system contains nested subsystems that function as component parts. Nervous, endocrine, and immune systems are among the subsystems that comprise the body. These subsystems function interdependently.

- All adaptive systems have 3 essential features. The first is irritability: The system is dynamic and responds to perturbations such as tissue injury by moving away from equilibrium to meet the challenge and returning toward equilibrium afterward. Second, connections and interactions exist among the components of a system; this is its connectivity. Through connectivity, patterns form and self-regulating feedback occurs. Consequently, the connectivity of a system is more important than the system components themselves. Third, adaptive systems have plasticity. They change selectively in response to alterations in the environment, and change is often nonlinear. System theorists describe nonlinear transitions as state or phase shifts. For example, the development of allodynia around a focus of injury is a central state shift in sensory processing. A key aspect of system nonlinearity is that small perturbations can produce large system changes while large perturbations often do not. Other features of adaptive systems include emergence, selforganization, and self-regulation.