Eye-movement behaviours when viewing real-world pain-related images.

BACKGROUND: Pain-related cues are evolutionarily primed to capture attention, although evidence of attentional biases towards pain-related information is mixed in healthy individuals. The present study explores whether healthy individuals show significantly different eye-movement behaviours when viewing real-world pain-related scenes compared to neutral scenes. The effect of manipulating via written information the threat value of the pain-related scenes on eye-movement behaviours was also assessed.

METHODS: Participants were randomized to threatening (n = 28) and non-threatening (n = 27) information conditions. All completed a free-viewing task with real-world pain-related and neutral images while their eye movements were recorded.

RESULTS: Participants made significantly fewer fixations of significantly longer duration when viewing pain-related images compared to neutral images. No significant differences were found between threatening and non-threatening information groups in their pattern of eye movements.

CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that healthy individuals demonstrate attentional biases to pain-related real-world complex images compared to neutral images. Future research is needed to establish the implications of these biases, particularly in the context of acute pain, on the onset and/or subsequent maintenance of chronic pain conditions.

SIGNIFICANCE: Healthy individuals show different eye-movement behaviours when viewing pain-related scenes than neutral scenes, supporting evolutionary accounts of pain. Implications for the onset and/or maintenance of chronic pain need to be explored.