Amputee phantom pain linked to brain retaining picture of missing limb
Tuesday, March 5, 2013 - 15:00
in Psychology & Sociology
Changes in the brain following amputation have been linked to pain arising from the missing limb, called "phantom pain," in a brain imaging study. Arm amputees experiencing the most phantom limb pain were found to maintain stronger representation of the missing hand in the brain -- to the point where it was indistinguishable from people with both hands.