title: Pain and somatic sensation are transiently normalized by illusory body ownership in a patient with spinal cord injury.
abstract: Spinal cord injury (SCI), a profound impairment of sensorimotor functions, is often associated with pain related phenomena, including mechanical allodynia, a condition in which non-painful tactile sensation is perceived as pain. Pain and somatic sensation are undeniable markers of normal bodily awareness. However, the mechanism by which they are integrated into a coherent sense of the bodily self remains largely unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of high-level multisensory manipulation on subjective experiences of pain, touch, and body-ownership.
  
  
  
  We administered visuo-tactile stimulation based on the rubber hand illusion. In a longitudinal study, we compared the strength of the illusion in a male with SCI, who initially had lost somatosensation in all his fingers, but a few months later reported signs of tactile allodynia restricted to the left C6-dermatome.
  
  
  
  After the restoration of some somatosensation, even if it were painful, synchronous but not asynchronous visuo-tactile stimulation induced body illusion. Previously painful stimuli were temporarily perceived as less painful, and the patient further regained tactile sensations in adjacent numb areas.
  
  
  
  The sensations of touch and pain are mutually influenced and inextricably linked to a coherent representation of one's own body. Multisensory manipulations affecting the perception and representation of the body might thus offer a powerful opportunity to mitigate nociceptive and somatic abnormalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Rome "La Sapienza, " Via dei Marsi, Rome, Italy.|IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Ardeatina, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Mariella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pazzaglia
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Haggard
authors.affiliation: IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Ardeatina, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scivoletto
authors.affiliation: IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Ardeatina, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Molinari
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychology Unit, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Bigna
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lenggenhager
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image; D006801:Humans; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007088:Illusions / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D058748:Pain Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055698:Touch Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Bodily illusions; allodynia; analgesia; pain; rehabilitation; somatosensory perception; spinal cord injury