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Related Concept Videos

Pain01:20

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Pain serves as a critical warning signal that alerts the body to potential or actual harm. When mechanical pressure on the skin is intense, such as from a sharp pinch, the sensation transitions from touch to pain. Similarly, extreme temperatures, like a hot pot handle, convert the sensation of heat into pain. Pain can also result from overstimulation of other senses, such as blinding light, loud noise, or the intense heat from habañero peppers. This ability to sense pain is essential for...
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Dissociative Disorders01:27

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Dissociative Identity Disorder01:30

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Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), previously termed multiple personality disorder, is a complex psychological condition characterized by the presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states. Each identity exhibits unique patterns of behavior, voice, and mannerisms and may possess separate memories and emotional responses. The alternating control between identities can result in memory gaps and challenges in recalling daily activities, often exacerbating the individual's...
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The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.
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Bones are dynamic organs that require a rich supply of oxygen and nutrients. Around 5% to 10% of the cardiac output supplies blood to the bones. A typical long bone has three main sources: the nutrient artery, the metaphyseal and epiphyseal arteries, and the periosteal arteries.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Author Spotlight: Quantifying Pain Experience – An Illustrative Approach Using the Pain Body Diagram
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Author Spotlight: Quantifying Pain Experience – An Illustrative Approach Using the Pain Body Diagram

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Somatic and vicarious pain are represented by dissociable multivariate brain patterns.

Anjali Krishnan1,2,3, Choong-Wan Woo1,2, Luke J Chang1,2,4

  • 1Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, United States.

Elife
|June 15, 2016
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Summary

This study reveals distinct brain patterns for experiencing personal pain versus feeling another's pain. These findings highlight separate neural mechanisms for empathy and pain perception.

Keywords:
empathyfMRIhumanmultivariate patternsneurosciencepain

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Understanding how humans represent others' pain is crucial for pro-social behavior.
  • Shared experience theories propose common brain representations for somatic and vicarious pain.
  • Alternative evidence suggests specialized circuits are necessary for experiencing others' suffering.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neural representations of somatic and vicarious pain intensity.
  • To determine if distinct brain patterns underlie the experience of one's own pain versus another's pain.
  • To explore the somatotopy and generalizability of these neural patterns.

Main Methods:

  • Functional neuroimaging (fMRI) combined with multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA).
  • Prediction of somatic and vicarious pain intensity in out-of-sample individuals.
  • Analysis of somatotopic representations in somatosensory and mentalizing circuits.

Main Results:

  • Dissociable brain patterns accurately predicted somatic and vicarious pain intensity separately.
  • Each pattern showed chance-level prediction for the other type of pain, indicating distinct neural substrates.
  • Somatotopic representations were distinct for somatic (somatosensory cortex) and vicarious pain (mentalizing network).
  • The somatic pain pattern generalized to different pain modalities (mechanical, electrical).

Conclusions:

  • Somatic and vicarious pain processing involve distinct neural patterns and circuits.
  • These findings suggest neural mechanisms limiting the capacity to feel others' pain.
  • Identified specific brain targets for future research on pain empathy.