The Brain Has No Pain Receptors
The brain itself feels no pain despite processing all pain signals, which is why brain surgeons can operate on conscious patients and why headaches come from surrounding tissues.
About this fact
Paradoxically, the organ that processes all our pain sensations cannot feel pain itself. The brain has no nociceptors (pain receptors), which is why neurosurgeons can perform certain brain operations on conscious patients. This allows surgeons to test brain functions in real-time and avoid damaging critical areas like speech or motor control. Headaches don't actually come from brain tissue - they result from tension in muscles, blood vessels, and nerves surrounding the skull. Migraines involve inflammation of blood vessels around the brain, not the brain tissue itself. This absence of pain receptors is evolutionary - if the brain could feel pain from its constant activity, we'd be in perpetual agony. However, the brain's blood vessels and surrounding tissues do have pain receptors, which is why brain tumors or increased intracranial pressure can cause severe headaches.