Why can some athletes seemingly play through injuries but succumb to incredible pain immediately after the competition ends? The explanation is thought to be related to the intense motivational states that may interfere with the perception of pain. The effects of emotional states may also explain why individuals with clinical depression report more pain than their counterparts without depression, and why anxiety increases pain perception. To explain why thoughts, emotions, and life experiences influence pain perception, Ronald Melzack and Patrick Wall proposed that a gating mechanism exists within the dorsal horn of the spinal cord where cells that project pain.
