Skin thermal pain modeling-A holistic method

Pain sensation has been studied extensively, over a range of scales, from the molecular level to the entire human neural system. Thermal stimulation of pain has been widely used in the study of pain sensation. Skin thermal pain is induced through both direct (an increase/decrease in temperature) and indirect (thermomechanical and thermochemical) ways, and is governed by complicated thermomechanical-chemical-neurophysiologic responses. This paper is focused on the theoretical modeling of the underlying mechanisms in the process of skin thermal pain. A holistic model has been developed, which is composed of three sub-models, namely, transduction, transmission, and modulation and perception. The model can contribute to the understanding of thermally related pain phenomena in skin tissue and to improvements in a range of thermal therapeutic methods.