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British Journal of Anaesthesia, 2002, Vol. 88, No. 6 755-757
© 2002 The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia

Editorial

Editorial I

Gate Control Theory of pain stands the test of time

A. H. Dickenson1

1Department of Pharmacology, University College, London, WC1E 6BT, UK

In 1965, Pat Wall (who died August 8, 2001) and Ron Melzack published their paper in Science, entitled a ‘New Theory of Pain’.1 Despite the mention that it was a theory, endless arguments and debates ensued. Poring over the details, arguing over the substrates, all futile and pointless since the theory has stood the test of time and has changed the way we think about pain—the new theory has endured.

Why? The theory simply stated, in an elegant and succinct way, that the transmission of pain from the peripheral nerve through the spinal cord was subject to modulation by both intrinsic neurones and controls emanating from the brain (Fig. 1). Pat then went on to add to and refine the theory to include changes in afferents, prolonged central excitability, and changes in these systems after nerve damage. The action of the gate control showed it to be subtle . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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