Virtual reality research shows that when surprised, our brains amplify pain

When it comes to pain, what you expect may not be what you get. New research using virtual reality shows that unexpected events can actually enhance our painful experiences, challenging theories about how the brain processes pain signals.

The study, published during February’s cognitive period, showed that the elements of surprise not only scare us, but also make things even more hurtful. This finding may be of great significance to understanding and treating chronic pain conditions.

Play with pain

To investigate how our brains handle pain, researchers at Dukuba University designed an innovative virtual reality experiment. Participants wearing VR headphones watched the virtual knife approaching their arms while bringing precisely timed thermal stimulation to the actual skin.

A clever twist, researchers occasionally make the virtual knife disappear before “contacting” while still delivering the thermal stimulus. This manipulation allows them to test two competing theories about how the brain processes pain: whether we feel pain based on the brain’s best estimate of the situation, or whether surprises from unexpected events affect our perception of pain.

Surprise Science

The findings of this study challenge traditional concepts about pain perception. When the virtual knife unexpectedly disappeared and subsequently delayed thermal stimulation occurred, the pain reported by the participants was significantly greater when everything was expected.

This discovery supports what researchers call the “Bayesian surprise hypothesis” – our brains are not only based on physical stimulation, but also violate our expectations, so our brains deal with pain. In other words, the more painful our brains are, the stronger we may feel.

The role of action and control

The research team also found that controlling movements made a difference. When participants actively control the virtual knife itself, the surprise effect on pain was more obvious than when the passive viewing knife movement.

This suggests that when we control for potential pain situations, the brain’s prediction systems work differently than when we only observe them. This discovery adds another layer to our understanding of how the brain handles pain in different situations.

Effects on chronic pain

These findings may be particularly relevant to understanding chronic pain conditions, in which patients often experience unpredictable pain attacks. Research shows that uncertainty and surprises associated with pain attacks may actually be amplifying their pain experiences.

The study involved 49 healthy volunteers, 23 participated in active knife exercise experiments, and 26 participated in passive observation versions. All participants were given informed consent and the study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Tsukuba University.

expect

This study opens new avenues for pain management strategies. Understanding that surprises expand pain may lead to treatment to reduce uncertainty and improve pain predictability in patients with chronic diseases.

These findings also underline the potential of virtual reality as a tool for research and potential treatment of pain conditions. By creating controlled environments where researchers can manipulate all aspects of the pain experience, VR can help develop more effective pain management techniques.

As our understanding of pain perception continues to evolve, this study adds an important work to the puzzle: Sometimes, not only pain itself can be hurt – which is surprising.