Amity Institute of Neuropsychology and Neurosciences (AINN), Amity University UP, Room No. 222A, J1 Block, Sector 125, Noida, 201303, India.
Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC), Sector C, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, 110070, India.
Acta Neurol Belg. 2019 Jun;119(2):175-186. doi: 10.1007/s13760-019-01139-x. Epub 2019 Apr 15.
Mental imagery is a quasi-perceptual experience in the absence of external stimuli. This concept has intrigued psychologists, sportspersons, neurologists and other scientists for over a decade now. Imagery has been used in rehabilitation and the results have been promising. Researchers refer to this as healing the body through the mind. However, the challenge is lack of standardized protocols, homogeneity and consistency in application of mental imagery in different populations. The purpose of this review is to discuss and understand the role of mental imagery in the treatment of central neuropathic pain (CNP). Treatment options of CNP are inadequate and their benefits are short lived. We conducted an extensive search on various databases using combinations of different keywords and reviewed the available literature in this area. We were able to finalize twelve studies where mental imagery was used for treating CNP in spinal cord injury (SCI), stroke and multiple sclerosis. However, the methodology and techniques of mental imagery training used in these studies were non-homogeneous and inconsistent. This review provides a guiding framework to further explore the different techniques of mental imagery and their roles in treating CNP.
心理意象是一种在没有外部刺激的情况下出现的准知觉体验。这个概念引起了心理学家、运动员、神经学家和其他科学家的兴趣已经有十多年了。意象已经被用于康复，并且取得了有希望的结果。研究人员称这是通过思维来治愈身体。然而，挑战在于缺乏标准化的方案，以及在不同人群中应用心理意象的同质性和一致性。本文的目的是讨论和理解心理意象在治疗中枢神经性疼痛（CNP）中的作用。CNP 的治疗选择不足，其益处是短暂的。我们在不同的数据库上使用不同的关键词组合进行了广泛的搜索，并回顾了这一领域的现有文献。我们能够确定了 12 项研究，其中心理意象被用于治疗脊髓损伤（SCI）、中风和多发性硬化症中的 CNP。然而，这些研究中使用的心理意象训练的方法和技术并不统一和一致。本综述提供了一个指导框架，以进一步探索心理意象的不同技术及其在治疗 CNP 中的作用。
