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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 11, 2026

Psychophysically-anchored, Robust Thresholding in Studying Pain-related Lateralization of Oscillatory Prestimulus Activity

Psychophysically-anchored, Robust Thresholding in Studying Pain-related Lateralization of Oscillatory Prestimulus Activity

Published on: January 21, 2017

Controllability changes pain perception by increasing the precision of expectations.

Marie Habermann¹, Christian Büchel²

¹Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. habermann.science@gmail.com.

Nature Communications

|November 18, 2025

Summary

Feeling in control of pain reduces its intensity by increasing expectation precision, not just predictability. This finding contrasts with conditions where pain is predictable but uncontrollable.

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Last Updated: Jan 11, 2026

Psychophysically-anchored, Robust Thresholding in Studying Pain-related Lateralization of Oscillatory Prestimulus Activity

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychology
Pain Research

Background:

Perception of unpleasant experiences, like pain, can be modulated by the ability to exert control.
It is commonly assumed that control mechanisms directly influence pain perception.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the precise mechanism by which control modulates acute pain perception.
To differentiate the effects of control from mere predictability of painful stimuli.

Main Methods:

Utilized a task where participants could either control or predict painful stimulus intensity.
Employed computational models approximating Bayesian perceptual integration to analyze data.

Main Results:

Acute pain modulation by control is explained by increased expectation precision.
This effect was observed specifically in the controllable condition, distinct from predictable-only conditions.
Increased expectation precision correlated with activation changes in brain regions like the periaqueductal gray, supplementary motor area, and rostral anterior cingulate cortex.

Conclusions:

Control over pain enhances perception modulation through increased expectation precision.
Brain regions involved in threat uncertainty, motor control, and descending pain modulation are activated by this process.