Disentangling the spinal mechanisms of illusory heat and burning sensations in the Thermal Grill Illusion

Abstract

AbstractThe Thermal Grill Illusion (TGI), a phenomenon in which the juxtaposition of innocuous warm and cold temperatures on the skin elicits a burning sensation, offers a unique perspective to how pain occurs in response to harmless stimuli. We investigated the role of the spinal cord in the generation of the TGI across two experiments (total n = 80). We applied heat and cold stimuli to dermatomes, areas of skin innervated by a single spinal nerve, that mapped onto adjacent or nonadjacent spinal segments. Enhanced warm and burning ratings during the TGI were observed when cold and warm stimuli were confined within the same dermatome. Further, heat perception was enhanced when the cold stimulus projected to the segment caudal to the warm stimulus, compared to the opposite spatial arrangement. Our results are consistent with spatial spread and integration of thermosensory information in the spinal cord.