11.   It delivers a steady stream of painkilling drugs which disrupt pain signals.

12.   It works on an area of the spinal cord called the dorsal cord, interfering with the transmission of pain signals to the brain.

13.   Meloy, who runs a pain management clinic in Winston-Salem, was treating the patients with an electro-stimulator, a device designed to interrupt pain signals.

14.   Morphine derivatives or synthetics, such as OxyContin, also can slow down or stop pain signals from being carried to the brain.

15.   Natural pain-relievers, such as endorphins, are often produced in insufficient quantities to stem the tide of pain signals being carried to the brain.

16.   Researchers believe Botox works on headaches by inhibiting neurotransmitters that carry pain signals in the brain, he said.

17.   Somehow that signaling leads to the release of endorphins and monoamines, chemicals that block pain signals in the spinal cord and the brain.

18.   That means the pain signals overwhelm the itch signals that are traveling along the same neural information highway.

19.   The drug blocks NMDA receptors, nerve cell sites that help relay pain signals.

20.   The toe has to send a signal to the brain saying what happened, and the brain sends the pain signal back in response.