Scandola Michele, Beccherle Maddalena, Polati Enrico, Pietroni Giorgia, Rossato Elena, Schweiger Vittorio, Moro Valentina
NPSY.Lab-VR, Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Lungadige Porta Vittoria 17, Verona, Italy.
Pain Therapy Centre, Department of Surgery, Dentistry, Maternal and Infant Sciences, Verona University Hospital, Piazzale Aristide Stefani 1, Verona, Italy.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jan 3;15(1):692. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-82711-1.
The Economy of action hypothesis postulates that bodily states rescale the perception of the individual's environment's spatial layout. The estimation of distances and slopes in navigation space (i.e. the space reachable by locomotion) is influenced by sensations relating to body condition and the metabolic cost of the actions. The results of the studies investigating the impact of pain on distance estimation remain inconclusive. 28 women suffering from chronic pain and fibromyalgia (FM), and 24 healthy women (HC) were assessed for musculoskeletal, neuropathic, and visceral pain by means of the Widespread Pain Index, the Symptom Severity Scale and an ad-hoc devised questionnaire for pain (the Verona Pain Questionnaire). In a VR-mediated task, they observed a 3D scenario and estimated the distance of a flag positioned at different distances (1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 m) on virtual ramps with either a 4% or 24% inclination in two different conditions: sitting and standing. Overestimation of distances in the steeper ramp condition was expected, if participants executed the task by internally simulating the movement. The results showed a dissociation between the effects of musculoskeletal and visceral-neuropathic pain on distance estimations. While, according to the Economy of Action hypothesis, the HCs estimated the distances as being farther away when the ramp was more inclined (i.e. with a 24% inclination), there was no effect related to the different ramp inclinations in the FM group. Furthermore, visceral and neuropathic pain were found to affect the performance of the FM group. These results suggest that chronic and widespread pain conditions, that typically characterize fibromyalgia, can affect space representations. In line with the Economy of Action hypothesis, bodily based estimation of distances is compromised in these patients.
行动经济性假说假定身体状态会重新调整个体对其环境空间布局的感知。导航空间（即通过移动可到达的空间）中距离和坡度的估计会受到与身体状况及行动代谢成本相关的感觉的影响。关于疼痛对距离估计影响的研究结果尚无定论。通过广泛疼痛指数、症状严重程度量表以及一份专门设计的疼痛问卷（维罗纳疼痛问卷），对28名患有慢性疼痛和纤维肌痛（FM）的女性以及24名健康女性（HC）进行了肌肉骨骼、神经性和内脏性疼痛的评估。在一项虚拟现实介导的任务中，她们观察一个三维场景，并估计在两种不同条件下（坐着和站着），虚拟斜坡上不同距离（1、2、3、4或5米）处放置的旗帜的距离，这些斜坡的倾斜度分别为4%或24%。如果参与者通过内部模拟动作来执行任务，那么在更陡峭斜坡条件下预计会高估距离。结果显示，肌肉骨骼疼痛和内脏 - 神经性疼痛对距离估计的影响存在分离。虽然根据行动经济性假说，健康女性在斜坡倾斜度更大（即24%倾斜度）时会估计距离更远，但纤维肌痛组中不同斜坡倾斜度对距离估计没有影响。此外，发现内脏性和神经性疼痛会影响纤维肌痛组的表现。这些结果表明，通常表征纤维肌痛的慢性广泛性疼痛状况会影响空间表征。与行动经济性假说一致，这些患者基于身体的距离估计受到了损害。
