First-person neuroscience and the understanding of pain

Thacker, Michael A; Moseley, G Lorimer

doi:10.5694/mja12.10468

Might science need philosophy for a precise and complete understanding of pain?

We were invited to reflect upon brain–mind–pain interactions and to opine on whether modern neuroscience adequately considers pain phenomena and experience. One might suggest that adequacy is not a particularly lofty goal in this respect. However, if we were to consider whether modern neuroscience thoroughly, or precisely, considers pain phenomena and experience, we would have to conclude in the negative.

1 Centre of Human and Aerospace Physiological Sciences, and Pain Research Section, Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry,King’s College London, London, UK.
2 Sansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA.
3 Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, NSW.

Correspondence: lorimer.moseley@gmail.com

Competing interests:

Lorimer Moseley has received consultancy fees from Grünenthal and speaker’s fees or travel expenses for meetings organised by NOIGroup Australia, Boehringer Ingelheim Europe, Grünenthal Europe and Sandoz.

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