Ouch! A paper cut! The pain information will travel by the __________ pathway to the thalamus and the __________.

A) fast pain; amygdala
B) fast pain; cortex
C) slow pain; amygdala
D) slow pain; cortex

Paper cuts typically involve fast pain fibers, which transmit information quickly to the cortex for processing. The amygdala is typically associated with emotional responses to pain, but it is the cortex that processes the sensation of pain itself. Slow pain fibers are associated with more chronic or long-lasting pain, and their signals are transmitted along different pathways that involve the thalamus and other brain regions.