Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Scientists Trick the Brain With a Fake Hand - And Pain Disappears
https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-trick-the-brain-with-a-fake-hand-and-pain-disappears/
The rubber hand is perceived as part of your own body when you can’t see your own. Credit: Damian Gorczany
Could an illusion help relieve pain? Researchers in Germany tested the “rubber hand illusion,” a bizarre trick where people start believing a fake hand is part of their body. Instead of using touch to trigger the illusion, they applied heat and red light, discovering that this strange sensory deception reduced pain perception.
The experiment suggests that our brains can be tricked into experiencing less pain when visual and sensory information is manipulated. This could one day lead to new treatments for chronic pain conditions, proving that sometimes, seeing really is believing.
The Mind-Bending Rubber Hand Illusion
When people can’t see their own hand and instead focus on a rubber one placed in front of them, their brain can sometimes be tricked into accepting the fake hand as part of their body. While it may sound like a party trick, this illusion, known as the rubber hand illusion, could have real clinical benefits. Researchers at the Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at LWL University Hospital in Bochum, Germany, have found that the illusion can reduce the intensity of heat-related pain. Their findings were published in the April 2025 issue of PAIN Reports.
Heat Creates Illusion
Traditionally, the rubber hand illusion is triggered by touching both the real and fake hands simultaneously, like brushing them at the same time. However, in this study, the researchers used a different method: heat and red light.
First, they determined the heat pain threshold for each of the 34 right-handed participants. Then, each person placed their left hand behind a screen, out of view, resting it on a heated device called a thermode. In place of the visible hand, a lifelike rubber hand was positioned in front of them, illuminated from below with red light.
While the hidden hand was exposed to controlled levels of heat, participants used their right hand to move a slider and continuously rate the pain they were feeling. This setup allowed researchers to test whether the illusion could reduce pain perception without any tactile stimulation, just through visual and thermal cues.
. . .
The experiment suggests that our brains can be tricked into experiencing less pain when visual and sensory information is manipulated. This could one day lead to new treatments for chronic pain conditions, proving that sometimes, seeing really is believing.
The Mind-Bending Rubber Hand Illusion
When people can’t see their own hand and instead focus on a rubber one placed in front of them, their brain can sometimes be tricked into accepting the fake hand as part of their body. While it may sound like a party trick, this illusion, known as the rubber hand illusion, could have real clinical benefits. Researchers at the Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at LWL University Hospital in Bochum, Germany, have found that the illusion can reduce the intensity of heat-related pain. Their findings were published in the April 2025 issue of PAIN Reports.
Heat Creates Illusion
Traditionally, the rubber hand illusion is triggered by touching both the real and fake hands simultaneously, like brushing them at the same time. However, in this study, the researchers used a different method: heat and red light.
First, they determined the heat pain threshold for each of the 34 right-handed participants. Then, each person placed their left hand behind a screen, out of view, resting it on a heated device called a thermode. In place of the visible hand, a lifelike rubber hand was positioned in front of them, illuminated from below with red light.
While the hidden hand was exposed to controlled levels of heat, participants used their right hand to move a slider and continuously rate the pain they were feeling. This setup allowed researchers to test whether the illusion could reduce pain perception without any tactile stimulation, just through visual and thermal cues.
. . .