Distant referral of cutaneous sensation (Mitempfindung). Observations on its normal and pathological occurrence

Certain normal individuals when scratching a small area of skin often experience simultaneously an additional punctate sensation (Mitempfindung) at a remote site on the body. Four patients are described with acquired Mitempfindungen, the sensation being referred to the region that had been rendered abnormal by damage to the nervous system. The differences between normal and pathological Mitempfindungen and other patterns of cutaneous referral are considered, and mechanisms underlying Mitempfindungen, including the possible role of the spinocervical tract, are discussed.