Pazzaglia, M;
Haggard, P;
Scivoletto, G;
Molinari, M;
Lenggenhager, B;
(2016)
Pain and somatic sensation are transiently normalized by illusory body ownership in a patient with spinal cord injury.
Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience
, 34
(4)
pp. 603-613.
10.3233/RNN-150611.
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Abstract
PURPOSE: Spinal cord injury (SCI), a profound impairment of sensorimotor functions, is often associated with pain related phenomena, including mechanical allodynia, a condition in which non-painful tactile sensation is perceived as pain. Pain and somatic sensation are undeniable markers of normal bodily awareness. However, the mechanism by which they are integrated into a coherent sense of the bodily self remains largely unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of high-level multisensory manipulation on subjective experiences of pain, touch, and body-ownership. METHODS: We administered visuo-tactile stimulation based on the rubber hand illusion. In a longitudinal study, we compared the strength of the illusion in a male with SCI, who initially had lost somatosensation in all his fingers, but a few months later reported signs of tactile allodynia restricted to the left C6-dermatome. RESULTS: After the restoration of some somatosensation, even if it were painful, synchronous but not asynchronous visuo-tactile stimulation induced body illusion. Previously painful stimuli were temporarily perceived as less painful, and the patient further regained tactile sensations in adjacent numb areas. CONCLUSIONS: The sensations of touch and pain are mutually influenced and inextricably linked to a coherent representation of one's own body. Multisensory manipulations affecting the perception and representation of the body might thus offer a powerful opportunity to mitigate nociceptive and somatic abnormalities.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Pain and somatic sensation are transiently normalized by illusory body ownership in a patient with spinal cord injury |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.3233/RNN-150611 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/RNN-150611 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Bodily illusions, somatosensory perception, pain, allodynia, spinal cord injury, rehabilitation, analgesia |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1574775 |
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