RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Visually Induced Analgesia: Seeing the Body Reduces Pain JF The Journal of Neuroscience JO J. Neurosci. FD Society for Neuroscience SP 12125 OP 12130 DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3072-09.2009 VO 29 IS 39 A1 Matthew R. Longo A1 Viviana Betti A1 Salvatore M. Aglioti A1 Patrick Haggard YR 2009 UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/29/39/12125.abstract AB Given previous reports of strong interactions between vision and somatic senses, we investigated whether vision of the body modulates pain perception. Participants looked into a mirror aligned with their body midline at either the reflection of their own left hand (creating the illusion that they were looking directly at their own right hand) or the reflection of a neutral object. We induced pain using an infrared laser and recorded nociceptive laser-evoked potentials (LEPs). We also collected subjective ratings of pain intensity and unpleasantness. Vision of the body produced clear analgesic effects on both subjective ratings of pain and the N2/P2 complex of LEPs. Similar results were found during direct vision of the hand, without the mirror. Furthermore, these effects were specific to vision of one's own hand and were absent when viewing another person's hand. These results demonstrate a novel analgesic effect of non-informative vision of the body.