Photo Credit: melodija
The following is a summary of “Effect of a Single Session Rubber Hand Illusion on Pressure Pain Is Not Long-Lasting,” published in the February 2025 issue of European Journal of Pain by Ceylan et al.
The rubber hand illusion (RHI) altered body perception and awareness by integrating simultaneous visual and tactile stimuli, leading individuals to perceive a rubber hand as their own and influencing pain perception.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the effects of the RHI on pressure pain threshold and the duration of this effect.
They included 23 volunteers who experienced the RHI and applied 2 conditions: illusion (synchronous) and control (asynchronous). The illusion condition used synchronous brush strokes, while the control condition applied asynchronous strokes with varying frequency and finger areas. Pressure pain threshold was measured with an algometer at 4 time points: baseline (1st), during brushing (2nd), after brushing (3rd), and post-removal of the hand (4th).
The results showed that the RHI increased the pressure pain threshold in healthy volunteers (P = 0.004). In contrast, asynchronous brush strokes in the control trial significantly reduced the pressure pain threshold (P = 0.002).
Investigators concluded that the threshold values, altered during brush strokes, returned to the initial state after the strokes ceased and the rubber hand was removed, indicating the illusion’s effect was transient with a single session.
Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejp.70003
