Resources for General Practitioners
Figure adapted with permission from Tracey I, Mantyh P (2007) The cerebral signature for pain perception and its modulation. Neuron 55, 377-391.
Vision and hearing are a sensory perceptions, similar to pain. These illusions help to illustrate how the sensory perception is influenced by the brain's interpetation of what is going on. These can be useful for demonstrating to patients that the brain is making these judgements without any active input from them, and that these perceptions are difficult to alter, even when we know that they are not completely correct.
Figure adapted with permission from Butler D, Moseley L (2003) Explain Pain, Noigroup Publications