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Updated: Jun 7, 2026
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Dynamic Quantitative Sensory Testing to Characterize Central Pain Processing
Published on: February 16, 2017
Sad mood increases pain sensitivity upon thermal grill illusion stimulation: implications for central pain processing
Michael Karl Boettger1, Christiane Schwier, Karl-Jürgen Bär
1Institute of Physiology I, University Hospital, Jena, Germany Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
Pain
|October 29, 2010
Summary
The thermal grill illusion, a pain research tool, was explored using a new device and mood induction. Sad moods intensified the illusion
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pain Research
- Psychophysiology
Background:
- Illusions are valuable tools for understanding stimulus processing in neuroscience.
- The thermal grill illusion elicits pain from non-painful temperatures, suggesting central nervous system involvement.
- Its precise mechanisms remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a water-driven device for future functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of the thermal grill illusion.
- To investigate the effect of induced sad mood on the perception of the thermal grill illusion.
Main Methods:
- A novel water-driven device was created to deliver the thermal grill stimulus.
- Participants underwent mood induction procedures (sad vs. neutral).
- Pain and unpleasantness ratings of the thermal grill illusion were collected.
Main Results:
- The developed device successfully induced thermal grill sensations comparable to literature reports.
- Induction of a sad mood, but not a neutral mood, significantly increased ratings of pain and unpleasantness.
- These findings suggest the involvement of central nervous structures in affective and cognitive pain processing.
Conclusions:
- The study presents a validated device for thermal grill illusion research, potentially usable in fMRI.
- Emotional states, specifically sadness, can modulate the perception of this pain illusion.
- Results offer insights into pain processing in healthy individuals and may be relevant for conditions like major depressive disorder.
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