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A leg to stand on: Learning creates pain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 1997

Niels Birbaumer
Affiliation:
Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, D-72074 Tübingen, Germanyniels.birbaumer@uni-tuebingen.de.
Herta Flor
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Humboldt-University, D 10117 Berlin, Germanyhflor@rz.hu-berlin.de=20

Abstract

The persistence of both inflammatory and neuropathic pain can only be explained when learning processes are taken into account in addition to sensitizing mechanisms. Learning processes such as classical and operant conditioning create memories for pain that are based on altered synaptic connections in supraspinal structures and persist without peripheral input. [coderre & katz; dickenson; wiesenfeld-hallin et al.]

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
© 1997 Cambridge University Press

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