Body Representation and Neuropathic Pain in Spinal Cord Injury

Chronic pain is one of the main complications of spinal cord injury, has a very negative impact on quality of life, and persists over time despite the use of analgesic treatments. Several types of pain are possible in patients with spinal cord injury, and neuropathic pain (pain caused by damage to the spinal cord, in this case) is one of the most difficult to treat, even with medication. Following an injury to the spinal cord, it is possible for the representation of the body to change as a result of sensorimotor deficits, prolonged changes in body posture and altered mobility. At present, the causes of chronic pain after spinal cord injury remain poorly understood and debated, but one hypothesis suggests that changes in body representation may play a key role in the development or worsening of neuropathic pain. To test this hypothesis, we will assess the perception of spinal cord injured patients (and a group of controls) of the size of their legs using a virtual reality device. This measurement will enable us to examine whether under- or over-estimation of leg length correlates with the presence of neuropathic pain in patients. Chronic pain in people with spinal cord injury is associated with an increased risk of stress, depression and anxiety, and understanding and treating neuropathic pain in people with spinal cord injury is a major issue in their management.


Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria :

Patients group:

* Men and women between the ages of 18 and 65;
* Have normal or corrected eyesight;
* Have a spinal cord lesion resulting in total or partial loss of tactile and proprioceptive sensitivity and motor skills in the lower limbs.
* have given their free and informed consent in writing, after having been informed orally and in writing of the study's progress.

Control group:

* Men and women between 18 and 65 years of age
* Have normal or corrected eyesight
* Have given their free and informed written consent after having been informed orally and in writing of the course of the study.

Exclusion Criteria :

Patients Group:

* People with a diagnosis of Eating Disorder
* People with a diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder that can modify body representations
* People who suffer from physiological discomfort when using gaming headsets or virtual reality
* People under psychiatric care
* Illiterate people
* Pregnant women, women in labour or breastfeeding mothers
* Persons deprived of their liberty by judicial or administrative decision
* Adults under legal protection (guardianship, curatorship)
* Persons not affiliated to a social security scheme or beneficiaries of a similar scheme

Control group:

* People with an eating disorder diagnosis
* People diagnosed with psychiatric disorders that can modify body representations
* People who suffer from physiological discomfort when using gaming headsets or virtual reality
* People under psychiatric care
* Illiterate people
* People with functional neurological motor disorders and/or partial or complete deficits and/or abnormal movements
* People with sensitivity problems in the lower limbs
* Pregnant women, women in labour or breastfeeding mothers
* Persons deprived of their liberty by judicial or administrative decision
* Persons admitted to a health or social establishment for purposes other than research
* Adults under legal protection (guardianship, curatorship)
* Persons not affiliated to a social security scheme or beneficiaries of a similar scheme