Radiation of pain: Psychophysical evidence for a population coding mechanism in humans

Abstract

How pain spreads across body locations is a subject of debate. In this psychophysical experiment, we hypothesized that more intense noxious stimuli would lead to spread of pain, but more intense light stimuli would not produce perceptual radiation. Fifty healthy volunteers participated in this study wherein four intensities of noxious stimuli (43, 45, 47 and 49°C) were applied to glabrous (hand) and hairy skin (forearm) skin with 5s and 10s durations. Also, four different intensities of visual stimuli displayed on the target bodily area were utilized as a control. Participants provided pain (and light) spatial extent ratings as well as pain (and light) intensity ratings. In the extent rating procedure, participants adjusted the extent of the square displayed on the screen with the extent of pain (or light) which they experienced. Results showed that pain extent ratings showed statistically significant radiation of pain indicated by 13.42× greater spatial spread of pain (pain extent) than the area of the stimulation with 49°C (p< 0.001), in contrast to visual ratings which closely approximated the size of the stimulus (1.22×). Pain radiation was more pronounced in hairy than glabrous skin (p< 0.05) and was more pronounced with longer stimulus duration (p< 0.001). Pain intensity explained, on average, only 14% of the pain radiation variability. The relative independence of the pain radiation from perceived pain intensity indicates that distinct components of population coding mechanisms may be involved in the spatial representation of pain versus intensity coding.