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Thermal grill illusion

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The thermal grill illusion is a sensory illusion originally
demonstrated in 1896 by the Swedish physician Torsten Thunberg.^[1]
The illusion is created by an interlaced grill of warm (e.g., 40degC/
104degF) and cool (20degC/68degF) bars. When someone presses a hand against
the grill, they experience the illusion of burning heat. But if the
person presses against only a cool bar, only coolness is experienced;
if the person presses against only a warm bar, only warmth is
experienced.

Researchers have used the illusion to demonstrate that burning pain
sensation is in fact a mixture of both cold and heat pain and that it
is only the inhibition of the cold pain "channel" that reveals the
heat component.

The illusion is demonstrated by positioning the middle finger in cold
water and the ring and index fingers in warm water. Due to
shortcomings in the body map - multisensory representation of the
body - and this particular sensory input configuration, for some
people the brain is tricked into thinking the middle finger is in the
warm water and the index and ring fingers in cold water.

In an fMRI experiment of the illusion, researchers recently observed
an activation of the thalamus not seen for control stimuli. Also,
activity in a portion of the right mid/anterior insula correlated
with the perceived unpleasantness of the illusion.^[2]

Notes[edit]

 1. ^ Thunberg T (1896). "Fornimmelserne vid till samma stalle
    lokaliserad, samtidigt pagaende kold-och varmeretning". Uppsala
    Lakforen Forh (1): 489-95.
 2. ^ Ingvar, Martin; Fransson, Peter; Kosek, Eva; Martinsen, Sofia;
    Johansson, Bo; Lindstedt, Fredrik (2011-11-11). "Evidence for
    Thalamic Involvement in the Thermal Grill Illusion: An fMRI
    Study". PLOS ONE. 6 (11): e27075. Bibcode:2011PLoSO...627075L.
    doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0027075. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3214046.
    PMID 22096519.

References[edit]

  * Thunberg T., Fornimmelserne vid till samma stalle lokaliserad,
    samtidigt pagaende kold-och varmeretning. Uppsala Lakforen Forh.
    1896; 1: 489-95.
  * Craig AD, Bushnell MC. The thermal grill illusion: unmasking the
    burn of cold pain. Science. 1994; 265: 252-5.
  * Defrin R, Ohry A, Blumen N, Urca G. Sensory determinants of
    thermal pain. Brain. 2002; 125: 501-10. [1]
  * How the 'Thermal Grill' Illusion Tricks the Mind [2]
  * F Lindstedt et al. Evidence for Thalamic Involvement in the
    Thermal Grill Illusion: An fMRI Study. [3]

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      Tactile illusions
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