Pain asymbolia, also calledpain dissociation, is a condition in whichpain is experienced withoutunpleasantness. This usually results from injury to the brain,lobotomy,cingulotomy ormorphineanalgesia. Preexisting lesions of the insula may abolish the aversive quality of painful stimuli while preserving the location and intensity aspects. Typically, patients report that they have pain but are not bothered by it; they recognize the sensation of pain but are mostly or completely immune to suffering from it. The pathophysiology of this disease revolves around a disconnect between theinsular cortex secondary to damage and thelimbic system, specifically thecingulate gyrus whose prime response to the pain perceived by insular cortex is to tether it with anagonizing emotional response thus signaling the individual of its propensity to inflict actual harm. However, a disconnect is not the only prime causative factor, as damage to these aforementioned cortical structures also results in the same symptomology.[1][2][3]
