Comprehensive clinical, biochemical, and electrophysiologic examinations of 250 glossalgia patients have revealed disintegration of supra-segmentary vegetative formations: increased activity of sympathoadrenal and serotonin systems, depressed kallikrein-kinin system, changed level of salivary electrolytes, reduced blood supply to the facial and oral tissues and decreased sensitivity of these tissues. Based on these findings, the authors suggest a scheme of glossalgia pathogenesis, with disorders in the autonomic nervous system underlying the development of the condition. Correction of the detected shifts contributes to a more effective therapy of glossalgia.