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‘Map of pain’ reveals how our ability to identify the source of pain varies across the body

By Guest PostJune 15, 2014Healthacute, atomstrom, bd2k, chronic pain, claudia kemfert, giandomenico iannetti, ivar leidus, knowledge initiative, masala curry, ming wen, nerve cells, wellcome trust, windmill

“Where does it hurt?” is the first question asked to any person in pain.

A new UCL study defines for the first time how our ability to identify where it hurts, called “spatial acuity”, varies across the body, being most sensitive at the forehead and fingertips.

Using lasers to cause pain to 26 healthy volunteers without any touch, the researchers produced the first systematic map of how acuity for pain is distributed across the body. The experiment, conducted in the group led by Dr Giandomenico Iannetti (UCL Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology), is published in the journal Annals of Neurology and was funded by the Wellcome Trust. (more…)

Brain’s Map of Space Falls Flat When It Comes to Altitude

Animal’s brains are only roughly aware of how high-up they are in space, meaning that in terms of altitude the brain’s ‘map’ of space is surprisingly flat, according to new research.

In a study published online in Nature Neuroscience, scientists studied cells in or near a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which forms the brain’s map of space, to see whether they were activated when rats climbed upwards. (more…)

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‘Map of pain’ reveals how our ability to identify the source of pain varies across the body

Brain’s Map of Space Falls Flat When It Comes to Altitude