Glossary G

Glossary G

Gas Chromatography/Mass spectrometry analysis refers to a means of analyzing urine samples for the presence of drugs in which the urine sample is vaporized and then bombarded with electrons.

Gases is one of the categories of neurotransmitters, which include nitric oxide and possibly others

Gaster is defined as the central, fleshy, contractile portion of the muscle that generally increases in diameter as the muscle contracts.

Gastric juices refer to stomach secretions that aid in digestion.

Gastrointestinal Tract (GI) refers to the entire span from the mouth to anus.

Gate control theory refers to a theory of pain holding that structures in the spinal cord act as a gate for sensory input that is interpreted as pain. This theory proposes that pain messages pass through neural "gates" in the spinal cord. Moreover, Gate control theory is a a model of pain which proposes that key processes in the experience of pain take place in the dorsal horn substantia gelatinosa of the spinal cord and are influenced by the brain.

Gate theory refers to the assumption that stimulation of certain non-pain axons in the skin or in the brain can inhibit transmission of pain messages in the spinal cord

Gate-control model refers to Melzack and Wall’s idea that our perception of pain is controlled by a neural circuit that takes into account the relative amount of activity in large (L) fibers and small (S) fibers. Gate-control model has been used to explain how pain can be influenced by factors in addition to stimulation of receptors in the skin.