Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Psychophysically-anchored, Robust Thresholding in Studying Pain-related Lateralization of Oscillatory Prestimulus Activity
Published on: January 21, 2017
The differentiation of organic and psychogenic pain
1Medical Division "Lory", Inselspital Bern, CH-3010 Bern Switzerland.
Abstract:
The differentiation between the organic and psychogenic origin of pain is often difficult to establish. One helpful characteristic for the detection of the organicity of a pain syndrome is its consistent change in intensity and/or quality as a function of the motoric behavior of the patient, which can be assessed while taking the history. This observation is illustrated by means of four clinical vignettes. The theoretical background is in accordance with Freud's statement about the real versus the intrapsychic origin of a perception: A perception (in our case, a pain) is real (of organic origin) if it can be made to disappear (to change in intensity and/or quality) by means of a motoric action of the subject (i.e. of the patient).
Related Concept Videos
Nociception
Blood and Nerve Supply to the Bones
Nutrient Artery
The nutrient artery is the main blood vessel that enters the diaphysis via the nutrient foramen. While most long bones have only one nutrient foramen, large bones, such as the femur, may have two. This...
Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the stimulus...
Analgesia and Pain Management
Pain
Primary Motives: Sleep, Sex, and Pain Avoidance
Sleep is a fundamental physiological drive that fosters a state of restfulness crucial for several bodily functions. It facilitates body restoration, the process by which the body repairs, rejuvenates, and maintains itself during sleep, including memory...

