Editing Nociceptor (section)

==Scientific investigation==
Nociceptors were discovered by [[Charles Scott Sherrington]] in 1906. In earlier centuries, scientists believed that animals were like mechanical devices that transformed the energy of sensory stimuli into motor responses. Sherrington used many different experiments to demonstrate that different types of stimulation to an [[afferent nerve fiber]]'s [[receptive field]] led to different responses. Some intense stimuli trigger reflex [[Withdrawal reflex|withdrawal]], certain [[Autonomic nervous system|autonomic responses]], and [[pain]]. The specific receptors for these intense stimuli were called nociceptors.<ref>Sherrington C. The Integrative Action of the Nervous System. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1906.</ref>

Studies of nociceptors have been conducted on conscious humans as well as surrogate animal models. The process is difficult due to invasive methods that could change the cellular activity of nociceptors being studied, the inability to record from small neuronal structures, and uncertainties in [[animal model]] systems as to whether a response should be attributed to pain or some other factor.<ref name="Nociceptors: the sensors of the pai"/>