How pain and body representations transform each other: A narrative review

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Somatosensory research

Background:

• Pain is a complex, subjective experience involving sensory, affective, and motivational aspects.
• Body representation is intricately linked with pain perception and processing.
• Understanding this interplay is crucial for various clinical conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the bidirectional relationship between pain and body representations.
• To explore how sense of ownership, motor imagery, and vicarious pain affect body perception.
• To examine the role of pain in maintaining body representations.

Main Methods:

• Literature review synthesizing existing research on pain and body representation.
• Analysis of studies investigating the impact of ownership, motor imagery, and vicarious pain.
• Examination of clinical case studies and experimental findings.

Main Results:

• Sense of ownership can lead to analgesic or hyperalgesic effects on pain perception.
• Pain impacts motor imagery, causing reductions and increased reaction times.
• Pain can preserve or enhance body representations, acting as a somatosensory index.

Conclusions:

• The relationship between pain and body representation is dynamic and bidirectional.
• Pain's role in body representation is adaptive, reflecting the central nervous system's response.
• This interaction offers novel insights into pain perception and body schema maintenance.