TY - JOUR
T1 - High incidence of 'synaesthesia for pain' in amputees
AU - Fitzgibbon, Bernadette M.
AU - Enticott, Peter G.
AU - Rich, Anina N.
AU - Giummarra, Melita J.
AU - Georgiou-Karistianis, Nellie
AU - Tsao, Jack W.
AU - Weeks, Sharon R.
AU - Bradshaw, John L.
PY - 2010/10
Y1 - 2010/10
N2 - Synaesthesia for pain is a phenomenon where a person experiences pain when observing or imagining another in pain. Anecdotal reports of this type of experience have most commonly occurred in individuals who have lost a limb. Distinct from phantom pain, synaesthesia for pain is triggered specifically in response to pain in another. Here, we provide the first preliminary investigation into synaesthesia for pain in amputees to determine the incidence and characteristics of this intriguing phenomenon. Self-referring amputees (n= 74) answered questions on synaesthesia for pain within a broader survey of phantom pain. Of the participants, 16.2% reported that observing or imagining pain in another person triggers their phantom pain. Further understanding of synaesthesia for pain may provide a greater insight to abnormal empathic function in clinical populations as well as therapeutic intervention for at risk groups.
AB - Synaesthesia for pain is a phenomenon where a person experiences pain when observing or imagining another in pain. Anecdotal reports of this type of experience have most commonly occurred in individuals who have lost a limb. Distinct from phantom pain, synaesthesia for pain is triggered specifically in response to pain in another. Here, we provide the first preliminary investigation into synaesthesia for pain in amputees to determine the incidence and characteristics of this intriguing phenomenon. Self-referring amputees (n= 74) answered questions on synaesthesia for pain within a broader survey of phantom pain. Of the participants, 16.2% reported that observing or imagining pain in another person triggers their phantom pain. Further understanding of synaesthesia for pain may provide a greater insight to abnormal empathic function in clinical populations as well as therapeutic intervention for at risk groups.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77957308801&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.07.029
DO - 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.07.029
M3 - Article
C2 - 20670636
AN - SCOPUS:77957308801
SN - 0028-3932
VL - 48
SP - 3675
EP - 3678
JO - Neuropsychologia
JF - Neuropsychologia
IS - 12
ER -