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In sensory saltation, first reported by Geldard and Sherrick (Science 178:178–179, 1972), a stimulus is displaced towards a second one following closely in time and space as a function of the delay between the stimuli. The distance between stimulus locations is restricted by the extension of sensory fields in the primary somatosensory cortex. Saltation is assumed to reflect dynamic changes in these cortical representations. The present study demonstrates for the first time saltation in thermoceptive and nociceptive pathways with CO₂ laser stimulation. Stimuli were presented to the dorsal forearms of 18 healthy subjects at two intensities. Saltation patterns consisted of a reference stimulus S0 near the wrist, the first test stimulus S1 at the reference location after a fixed onset delay of 1,000 ms, and a second test stimulus S2 at a location 105 mm distant from reference after a variable onset delay of 60–516 ms …