Sensations, their types. Concepts of sensitivity, absolute and relative thresholds of sensations

Our clinic specializes in neurology and immunology. We have experienced specialists in related specialties - neurologists with additional training in immunology, dermatologists. The Clinic has equipment for studying the brain, sensory nerves and muscles.

• Numbness and decreased sensitivity
• Pain along the nerves
• Skin rashes due to nerve damage (shingles)
• Dizziness
• Increased sensitivity. Low pain threshold
• Mental changes. Nervous exhaustion. Asthenia. Depression. Psychosis

Numbness and decreased sensitivity

Numbness and decreased sensitivity are private companions of suffering in the nervous system. Decreased sensitivity and numbness occur for a specific reason: signals from the body's sensory receptors do not reach the brain or are not perceived by it. Why this happens can be found out during a neurological examination and through instrumental studies, incl. electroneuromyography and evoked potential studies. These neurophysiological studies test the entire sensory pathway, from the body's sensory receptors to the cerebral cortex. It is important to find the cause of the sensory disorder and confidently treat a specific and understandable disorder or disease.

To restore impaired sensitivity, in addition to treating the underlying disease, we will offer you magnetic stimulation. This treatment method makes recovery faster and easier. We recommend that you contact a neurologist to determine the cause of numbness and treatment.

Swing to the right: hemihypesthesia, parahypesthesia superior and inferior, hypoesthesia of one limb

Different diseases are characterized by different sensory disturbances (types of numbness). Possible causes of numbness or decreased sensitivity:

• Brain disease is characterized by impaired sensitivity or numbness of the extremities of the opposite half of the body: numbness of the right arm or leg when the left parts of the brain suffer, numbness of the left arm (leg) - the right.
• Spinal cord disease is characterized by impaired sensitivity below the site of injury, accompanied by tissue numbness.
• Polyneuropathy is characterized by sensory disturbances of the “gloves and socks” type.
• With a disease of one or another peripheral nerve, symptoms of numbness in the area of ​​​​its innervation are characteristic: a feeling of numbness of the skin (including the head: facial skin, lips, tongue, etc.), numbness of the hand or fingers (fingertips, little finger, big toe), numbness of the foot.

Decreased sensitivity and numbness (as a symptom) in one or another part of the body may be associated with:

• With disruption of the conduction of nerve impulses from receptors that perceive sensations. This is possible when the receptors themselves die, the peripheral nerves, spinal cord or brain suffer;
• With the destruction of the area of ​​the cerebral cortex that receives sensitive impulses.

More often we see a violation of all types of sensitivity at once, accompanied by partial or complete numbness of any part of the body. But only one or a few types of sensitivity may be affected. Thus, there may be a disturbance in the perception of only tactile, pain, temperature, joint-muscular sensations, sensations of pressure, movement, etc. This is typical for demyelinating diseases and polyneuropathy.

We will offer you treatment for numbness or decreased sensation based on our diagnostic findings.

Direct method of measuring sensations

When using the direct method, a stimulus is applied to a specific sensory organ of the subject at first with low intensity, which gradually increases. The subject must give a signal when he first feels the applied stimulus.

To measure skin sensitivity, an esthesiometer device is used, and the threshold of sensation is measured in bars.

To measure hearing sensitivity, a sound generator or audiometer is used, the sensitivity threshold is expressed in decibels.

To measure taste and olfactory sensitivity, special devices are used that offer the subject minimal concentrations of certain substances with a gradual increase in taste and olfactory effects.

Pain along the nerves

Many diseases of the nervous system are accompanied by pain along the nerves. Neuralgia is often confused with musculotendinous pain in fibromyalgia. We have modern diagnostic equipment to determine the cause of pain along the nerves and experienced specialists to treat not only the pain, but also the symptoms. In particular, we perform electroneuromyography and ultrasound of the nerves.

Pain along the nerves (neuralgia) is most often caused by:

• pinched nerves,
• mono- and polyneuropathy,
• inflammation of the nerve trunks - polyneuritis.

The pain first appears at typical points where the nerves pass through narrow channels in the area of ​​large joints near the tendons. Pain can only be felt when pressing on the points or appear spontaneously. In more severe cases, pain may occur along the nerves along the arms and legs.

Regardless of the cause of the pain along the nerve, we will find the cause, relieve you of the pain and prevent its further occurrence.

Typical places where pain appears along the nerves:

Occipital nerve; Trigeminal nerve

Brachial plexus and arm nerves; Intercostal nerves; Lumbosacral nerve plexus and leg nerves;

The source of pain along the nerve is usually easy to determine based on electroneuromyography and examination by a neurologist.

Elimination of hypersensitivity in people with hearing impairments

Increased sensitivity to sounds in people with hearing impairments is corrected by an audiologist. In St. Petersburg, you can contact, where experienced specialists in this profile work.

Help involves selecting a specific assistive hearing aid that will suppress sound in a specific frequency range. The audiologist adjusts the system so that the frequency that causes the greatest discomfort is actively suppressed.

The phenomenon of accelerated increase in volume may not appear immediately, but rather after a while after fitting a hearing aid. In such a situation, you should not endure discomfort, but immediately go to a trusted specialist to purchase a new system or configure an old one.

To reduce the risk of developing an unpleasant condition, you should immediately contact a trusted hearing care center. If there are indications for installing a hearing system, you should not buy cheap devices without individual settings. The risk of increased sensitivity when wearing such a design is significantly higher. Audiologists will help you choose a design that is right for you and make its precise adjustment.

Skin rashes due to nerve damage (shingles)

Skin rashes with nerve damage are most often associated with viral aggression. The appearance of skin rashes indicates a decrease in the body's immune defense. Our task is to relieve you of skin rashes and improve the functioning of the immune system so as to stop the viral attack. Read more about the treatment of herpes zoster

Skin rashes with herpetic lesions of peripheral nerves (herpes zoster) appear on the skin in the area of ​​the nerve affected by the virus.

Symptoms of herpes zoster:

• severe pain that gets worse when touching the skin,
• bubbles giving way to crusts,
• redness,
• severe itching is possible.

Dizziness

These symptoms occur when organs that provide balance suffer (inner ear, cochleovestibular nerve, brain stem, cerebellum) and are often accompanied by nausea and vomiting. The appearance of dizziness and unsteadiness indicates the inability of the nervous system to correctly navigate in space and maintain the body’s center of gravity within the area of ​​support. Hence the risk of falling.

Damage to the inner ear and cochleovestibular (auditory and vestibular) nerve or vestibular ataxia is accompanied by severe dizziness with a feeling of spinning, nausea and vomiting. This kind of dizziness is called systemic. Typically, dizziness increases after changing body position (standing or lying down), turning or tilting the head. The inner ear and cochleovestibular nerve often suffer from neuroinfections and inflammatory processes in the throat and paranasal sinuses. It is also possible to experience hearing loss similar to sensorineural hearing loss.

Damage to the cerebellum (cerebellar ataxia) , in addition to systemic dizziness, is often manifested by intention tremor , i.e. trembling of the arms and legs when trying to make an accurate movement, when approaching the target (for example, when hitting a lock with a key). Usually we have to deal with damage to the cerebellum in multiple sclerosis, chronic alcohol intoxication and cerebrovascular accident. In the case of vascular disorders, the picture may be complemented by transient or permanent visual impairment due to the commonality of the cerebellar circulatory system and the visual cortex.

Balance imbalance due to sensitivity disorder (sensitive ataxia) occurs due to a deficiency of information signals coming from sensory receptors of muscles and joints. In this case, the brain is not provided with complete data about the spatial position of various parts of the body, hence the disorder of balance and coordination of movements. Sensitive ataxia is a typical symptom of polyneuropathy. A characteristic sign is unsteadiness to the point of falling with the eyes closed or in the dark, when it is difficult to use vision for spatial coordination.

Frontal ataxia (gait ataxia) occurs when the anterior parts of the cerebral hemispheres are damaged and is manifested by a loss of walking skill in the absence of systemic dizziness and with preserved strength in the legs. This is possible with neuroinfections, multiple sclerosis, circulatory disorders, tumors, alcoholism and other diseases.

The basis of treatment for dizziness and balance disorders is the correct identification of the cause and its elimination. Therefore, treatment in our clinic will begin with clarifying the cause of what is happening . In most cases, dizziness and unsteadiness can be significantly reduced or eliminated altogether.

Who are emotionally sensitive people?

An emotionally sensitive person in the most general sense is a person who has a greater range of emotions than anyone else and perceives the world and events occurring in it acutely, vividly and sensually. There are five signs of emotional sensitivity:

• Depth, intensity and complexity of emotions.
• Increased empathy and sensitivity
• High level of sensitivity.
• A rich inner world filled with feelings and a vivid imagination.
• Creativity and existential anxiety.

Using these signs, you can determine whether you belong to the category of emotionally sensitive people.

Depth, intensity and complexity of emotions

If you are a person with high emotional sensitivity, you seem to exist in the world of emotions and cannot imagine yourself outside of it. You perceive any events acutely, and you feel truly alive only when you feel something. At the same time, emotions can be not only vivid, but also changeable: one minute you are at the peak of euphoria, and the next second you experience deep sadness.

You may be passionate about anything you do and can love deeply, grandly, and completely, so you strive to create strong connections with people, things, and places, which can make it difficult to say goodbye to them, even if necessary.

Increased empathy and sensitivity

Probably from a very early age you were interested in the lives of those around you, you even worried about people who had nothing to do with you. You may also feel a stronger connection to animals and nature, the other person's inner world and their physical sensations. Surely it will not be difficult for you to understand what your interlocutor is feeling and why he feels this way - and you feel it so clearly that sometimes other people's experiences are perceived as your own.

You tend to treat people empathically, and in close relationships you can romanticize and idealize your friend or partner, forgiving him of many shortcomings simply because you deeply feel his inner world. Moreover, some highly sensitive people have a low pain threshold, suffer from misophonia (intolerance to certain sounds), hyperacusis (sensitivity to certain frequencies and strengths of sound) and allergies.

High level of susceptibility

You do not tend to be content with superficial knowledge, because thanks to empathy and sensuality, you can penetrate to the very essence of things, see connections and important details that many miss. Sometimes you are able to predict the occurrence of a certain event in advance, understand a person’s state long before he explains it himself, and also recognize true intentions.

True, the ability to anticipate something does not always play into your hands, since some images and possible scenarios influence you so much that you cannot get rid of obsessive thoughts and emotions.

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Rich inner world and vivid imagination

A wide range of emotions gives rise to various images and associations that can develop into metaphors, ideas, fantasies and entire worlds. You are probably very inquisitive, prone to constant thinking and searching for answers to questions, which is why you are attentive to the information you study and the people with whom you communicate. You may suffer from perfectionism and are prone to excessive self-criticism.

When you read books, watch a movie or a theater production, then, most likely, the rest of the world ceases to exist for you - now there is only a fictional universe that you sensorily explore and react to vividly.

Creativity and existential crisis

Thanks to your insight skills, you may have often wondered about the meaninglessness of existence, experienced a fear of loneliness, and also been irritated by the fact that other people do not want to think about what is really important.

You often get hung up on the thought of the transience of time and the finitude of all things, because of this you try to make the most of every moment of life, to achieve creative and career heights. Perhaps you have several hobbies, and you are absolutely uncomfortable with the idea of ​​a meaningless life without any goals, aspirations and global desires.

Mental changes. Nervous exhaustion. Asthenia. Depression. Psychosis

Depression and asthenia are frequent companions and a supporting factor in many chronic diseases. They are caused not just by a decrease in mood, but also by a biochemical imbalance of the central nervous system, incl. disorganization of the serotonin systems of the brain. A kind of vicious circle “illness-depression-illness” is formed. In most cases, a good treatment result is based on working with this vicious circle, i.e. on the treatment of the underlying disease and restoration of regulatory processes in the nervous system, incl. and serotonin regulation.

Under the influence of antidepressant treatment, immunity indicators and blood biochemistry, blood pressure, ECG, EEG change for the better, and sleep improves. The restoration of lost movement functions occurs faster, and spasticity also decreases.

Reasons for mental changes

There are several main reasons for depression in diseases of the nervous system:

• Immune and infectious aggression against the nervous system;
• Prolonged stress caused by illness;
• Long-term unpleasant symptoms (pain, weakness, etc.);
• Unpleasant medical procedures;
• Cerebrovascular accident;
• Forced change in lifestyle;
• Side effects of certain medications (for example, interferons).

Symptoms of mental changes

Personality change. The development of personality changes can be found in almost any brain disease. It is characterized by a sharpening (strengthening) of some personal characteristics to the detriment of others or the appearance of pathological personality traits. Thus, pathological aggressiveness, greed, suspicion, negativism and depression, euphoria, a pathological tendency to flat jokes, hypo- or hypersexuality, neglect of hygiene, excessive religiosity, etc. may appear. The ability to adequately assess one’s own actions decreases, hence conflicts with other people and troubles with the law. With a long course of the disorder, especially in the absence of treatment, a decrease in intelligence is possible.

Psychosis. In the long-term period of traumatic, infectious and intoxication diseases that cause the death of brain cells, periodic organic psychoses may develop. Often psychoses occur at regular intervals (sometimes they have a clear seasonality).

Possible symptoms:

• Twilight stupefaction with excitement;
• Hallucinations;
• Rave;
• Insomnia;
• Autonomic disorders (changes in blood pressure, body temperature, menstrual cycle, etc.).

Treatment of personality disorders

We recommend seeking help if you experience symptoms of a personality disorder. In our clinic, treatment is carried out in several directions at once:

• Preventing the death of brain matter. In addition to treating the underlying disease, nootropic drugs, antioxidants, and polypeptide drugs are used.
• Relief of depression and agitation, sleep disorders. Here, mainly nootropics with a calming effect, antidepressants and antipsychotics are used, in the correct combination that preserves normal vital functions.
• Working with a psychotherapist to understand and correct social and personal problems.

How to deal with it

Exercise “Time of Truth”

If you find that you experience a lot of emotions and cannot manage them, you are likely to be held captive by prejudices, old traumas and beliefs that are preventing you from realizing your full potential. The exercise is to look at unpleasant past events—for example, family experiences or awkward moments in society, among friends, or at work—in which you came to the conclusion that your emotions were wrong, and to understand why you believe that your emotions were wrong. that sensitivity only bothers you. Here's what you need to do:

• Take a journal and remember as many painful events from the past as possible. Do you have a tendency to minimize negative feelings? Or, for example, try to separate yourself from your experiences, as if you don’t want them to be yours?
• Be honest with yourself and remember your childhood. How did your parents react to your sensitivity? Did they support her or, on the contrary, try to suppress her? Did you receive support when you were sad, and if so, from whom? Were you able to experience your emotions with loved ones or did you have to do it alone?
• As you remember, notice how your body reacts. Does your heart rate increase when you think about certain situations? Maybe your jaw or shoulders are tense? Emotions tend to manifest themselves externally, so pay attention to your body's signals.

During this exercise, if you dig deep, it may become clear why exactly you cannot accept and acknowledge your high sensitivity and, as a result, make it work for you.

Feel the events of the past

Some traumas from childhood or simply in the past can still cause negative feelings in us, such as sadness, anger, sadness or disappointment. It's normal to experience them, but if the events still seem painful, then you haven't let them go yet. Therefore, allow yourself to experience all the emotions again, even though it may be unpleasant.

Think of all the situations that make you sad, toxic envy, anger or any other negative emotion. Try to feel it all again, allow yourself to react exactly as you would have reacted if you had not forbidden yourself to freely express your feelings, even the most unpleasant and negative ones. As in the previous exercise, pay attention to the body’s reaction: do you have a lump in your throat, are your cheekbones tense, do you want to cry? And if yes, then allow yourself to feel it all. Reliving emotions is a way of healing and cleansing from what has been bothering you for a long time. When you fully experience everything, it will be easier for you to let go of events and move on.

Exercise “Mental rehearsal”

When we are nervous, anticipating a not-so-pleasant or simply exciting event, we begin to activate our defense mechanisms in advance so that the situation does not turn into a disaster for us. However, by overthinking ourselves, we only make things worse, while the event may well turn out to be not as terrible as it initially seemed. To avoid incorrect reactions, do several things:

• Imagine an event that triggers your anxiety. Consider it in detail, but not from the point of view of a passive observer, but as an active participant.
• Imagine all the possible scenarios in which this event could develop. Will people say things that make you sad? Or maybe it will make you angry? Imagine everything that could provoke a strong emotional reaction in you - from the smallest troubles to the largest.
• Develop a plan for each option. What will you say if your relative gives unsolicited advice? What “mantra” will help you maintain composure and not lash out at your loved ones?
• Choose the most successful strategies from all of them and imagine how you would apply them in a specific situation.
• Imagine absolutely all scenarios and solutions. Then you will be more prepared, and it will no longer be your emotions that control you, but you will use them for their intended purpose.