When we feel pain, such as when we touch a hot stove, sensory receptors in our skin send a message via nerve fibres (A-delta fibres and C fibres) to the spinal cord and brainstem and then onto the brain where the sensation of pain is registered, the information is processed and the pain is perceived.

Where in the brain is pain perceived?

Most notably, the insula and anterior cingulate cortex are consistently activated when nociceptors are stimulated by noxious stimuli, and activation in these brain regions is associated with the subjective experience of pain.

Where in the central nervous system does pain perception occur?

There are multiple levels of CNS involved in the transmission of pain. These include the spinal cord (supraspinal), the brainstem (midbrain, medulla oblongata and the pons), and the cortical regions (cerebral cortex), as shown in Figure 1.