Who Created the Gate Control Theory

November 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1965 Science publication “Pain Mechanisms: A New Theory” by Ronald Melzack and Patrick D Wall (1), in which the authors introduced the gate control theory of pain that has since revolutionized our understanding of pain mechanisms and management.

Who came up with the gate control theory?

Due to the observations that raised questions, a new theory of pain was developed in the early 1960s to account for the clinically recognized importance of the mind and brain in pain perception. It is called the gate control theory of pain, and it was initially developed by Ronald Melzack and Patrick Wall.

What are the three pain control theories?

The four most influential theories of pain perception include the Specificity (or Labeled Line), Intensity, Pattern, and Gate Control Theories of Pain (Fig. 1). The Specificity Theory refers to the presence of dedicated pathways for each somatosensory modality.