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On July 9, the Epoch Times reported on the phenomenon of phantom limb sensations, where individuals who have lost a limb due to illness or accident continue to feel the presence of the missing limb, with a significant proportion also experiencing phantom pain. A medical study from last year found that 72% of amputees experience phantom pain, with the rate rising to 80% for those missing lower body limbs.
The journal Nature has suggested that phantom limb sensations originate from the thalamus in the central nervous system. Researchers found that stimulating the thalamus of amputees could induce pain, touch, and other sensations. However, the reason why the central nervous system continues to send signals for non-existent limbs remains unexplained. Some scientists attribute the extreme pain experienced by some patients to changes in the neural pathways of the brain's motor cortex, while others believe it is due to changes in blood flow and blood pressure, but no consensus has been reached. Some patients continue to suffer from post-amputation pain despite undergoing spinal cord stimulation or deep brain stimulation, and the persistence of touch sensations in the missing limb remains unexplained. Although amputees insist that these sensations are not hallucinations, many doctors recommend psychological treatment for delusions and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In the absence of explanations from modern empirical science, the existence of a body in another dimension might offer the most appropriate interpretation of phantom limb sensations.References
1. Dijkstra PU, Geertzen JH, Stewart R, van der Schans CP. Phantom pain and risk factors: a multivariate analysis. Journal of Pain & Symptom Management. 24(6): 578-85, 2002.
2. Davis KD, Kiss ZH, Luo L, Tasker RR, Lozano AM, Dostrovsky JO. Phantom sensations generated by thalamic microstimulation. Nature. 391(6665): 385-7, 1998.
3. Katayama Y, Yamamoto T, Kobayashi K, Kasai M, Oshima H, Fukaya C. Motor cortex stimulation for phantom limb pain: comprehensive therapy with spinal cord and thalamic stimulation. Stereotactic & Functional Neurosurgery. 77(1-4): 159-62, 2001.
4. Satchithananda DK, Parameshwar J, Hardy I, Large SR. Phantom-limb lengthening after heart transplant. Lancet. 352(9124): 292, 1998.
Source: http://epochtimes. com/ b5/ 3/ 7/ 9/ n340254. htm
The Body in Another Space: Phantom Limbs
The journal Nature has suggested that phantom limb sensations originate from the thalamus in the central nervous system. Researchers found that stimulating the thalamus of amputees could induce pain, touch, and other sensations. However, the reason why the central nervous system continues to send signals for non-existent limbs remains unexplained. Some scientists attribute the extreme pain experienced by some patients to changes in the neural pathways of the brain's motor cortex, while others believe it is due to changes in blood flow and blood pressure, but no consensus has been reached. Some patients continue to suffer from post-amputation pain despite undergoing spinal cord stimulation or deep brain stimulation, and the persistence of touch sensations in the missing limb remains unexplained. Although amputees insist that these sensations are not hallucinations, many doctors recommend psychological treatment for delusions and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In the absence of explanations from modern empirical science, the existence of a body in another dimension might offer the most appropriate interpretation of phantom limb sensations.References
1. Dijkstra PU, Geertzen JH, Stewart R, van der Schans CP. Phantom pain and risk factors: a multivariate analysis. Journal of Pain & Symptom Management. 24(6): 578-85, 2002.
2. Davis KD, Kiss ZH, Luo L, Tasker RR, Lozano AM, Dostrovsky JO. Phantom sensations generated by thalamic microstimulation. Nature. 391(6665): 385-7, 1998.
3. Katayama Y, Yamamoto T, Kobayashi K, Kasai M, Oshima H, Fukaya C. Motor cortex stimulation for phantom limb pain: comprehensive therapy with spinal cord and thalamic stimulation. Stereotactic & Functional Neurosurgery. 77(1-4): 159-62, 2001.
4. Satchithananda DK, Parameshwar J, Hardy I, Large SR. Phantom-limb lengthening after heart transplant. Lancet. 352(9124): 292, 1998.
Source: http://epochtimes. com/ b5/ 3/ 7/ 9/ n340254. htm