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Acta Neurologica Belgica
Published in: Acta Neurologica Belgica 2/2019

01-06-2019 | Neuropathic Pain | Review article

Mental imagery training for treatment of central neuropathic pain: a narrative review

Authors: Jaskirat Kaur, Shampa Ghosh, Asish Kumar Sahani, Jitendra Kumar Sinha

Published in: Acta Neurologica Belgica | Issue 2/2019

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Abstract

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.
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Metadata
Title
Mental imagery training for treatment of central neuropathic pain: a narrative review
Authors
Jaskirat Kaur
Shampa Ghosh
Asish Kumar Sahani
Jitendra Kumar Sinha
Publication date
01-06-2019
Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Published in
Acta Neurologica Belgica / Issue 2/2019
Print ISSN: 0300-9009
Electronic ISSN: 2240-2993
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13760-019-01139-x

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