Radiation Of Pain in Humans: Evidence for A Psychophysical Manifestation of a Neural Population Coding Mechanism?

How localized pain becomes widespread is unclear. Here, we hypothesize that more intense noxious stimuli lead to greater areas of perceived pain, but more intense light does not produce radiation. Three noxious (45, 47 and 49 °C) and one innocuous (43°C) intensity stimuli were applied to glabrous (hand) and hairy skin (forearm) skin with 5s and 10s stimuli. Control stimuli comprised four different intensities of visual stimuli displayed on the target bodily areas. Healthy participants (N=50) provided pain (and light) i ntensity ratings as well as pain (and light) extent ratings.

Source: The Journal of Pain - April 1, 2024 Category: Materials Science Authors: Waclaw M. Adamczyk, Vishwanath Ramu, Catherine Jackson, Geraldine Schulze, Kenneth R. Goldschneider, Susmita Kashikar-Zuck, Christopher D. King, Robert C. Coghill Source Type: research