Increased and decreased afferentation can lead to what effect on pain perception?

Increased and decreased afferentation profoundly influences pain perception. When afferentation is heightened, it means there is an increase in the sensory input or signal coming from the body to the central nervous system. This can heighten pain perception, making an individual more sensitive to pain stimuli. On the other hand, if there is decreased afferentation, it can also lead to altered pain perception, often resulting in increased pain perception due to the body’s compensatory mechanisms trying to account for the loss of sensory input.

This concept aligns with the understanding of how the nervous system processes pain signals. It highlights that both excessive and insufficient sensory information can intensify the experience of pain, confirming that afferentation's role is crucial in modulating pain perception. Thus, the correct answer is increased pain perception, reflecting the complexity of how changes in sensory input affect the way pain is processed and experienced.