Researchers Identify Phantom Limb Brain Activity 165
mmmscience writes "Researchers in Switzerland think they had identified the regions of the brain responsible for creating phantom limbs and the senses that go along with them. Scientists studied a stroke victim who claimed that the phantom limb of her now-paralyzed left arm could do a number of things a normal limb could do, including 'scratch an itch on her head, with an actual sense of relief.'"
bloggers aren't jouros (Score:5, Informative)
Re:A serious question (Score:5, Informative)
Yes, we do.
I'm just coming up to 3 years post-op. I no-longer get a phantom penis when awake, but I sometimes have something I call "the hermaphrodite dream", where I have both a penis and vagina. The first few times, it messed with my head a bit, but now I'm kinda OK with it, and it only happens once or twice a year.
Re:Mind over matter (Score:3, Informative)
Possibly. But from the post's description, I suspect what they've actually identified is the psychic nut-job region of the brain.
Re:Like Gil "The Arm" (Score:2, Informative)
Re:But what Slashdotters really need to know... (Score:3, Informative)
Everything is fantasy when you are dealing with memories, but I take your point. Here is a brief explanation of the mechanism for single-instance recursion - it is not for everyone.
Single-instance recursion works for creating the orgasm trigger in individuals with a large number of instances to draw from because reconstructive recursion upon a single memory results in a super-realistic composite memory - the formation and subsequent experience of which can result in both sexual climax without physical stimulation and wild swings in sexual response to meatspace stimuli.
The initial conceptualization of the masturbatory experience from which we will inherit the current experience is a seed.
Iterating over the memory with the intent of incrementally adding sense memory, and then physically experiencing the enhanced 'memory' upon the next iteration establishes an expectation within the subject that the memory will become more 'real' with the continued application of focus.
Once immersed in the cycle, the memory enhancement process continues even after the pool of 'real' sense memories is exhausted, with the patient subconsciously generating pleasurable sense memories until the conceptual mixture becomes 'super-real' and triggers the physical release.
This process can take many sessions for trauma sufferers/patients without any training in meditation/visualization/self-hypnosis/whatever, but can be essential in helping them restore a sense of physical wellbeing.
If you are already visualizing to the point that you are mostly unaware of the physical world then you should be able to bridge the physicality gap without too much trouble by applying an iterative technique to the fantasy subject matter.
You must play through the entire scenario beginning to end each iteration, and you must remain focused on 'dressing' the fantasy with additional sensory detail each time through. Do not focus on the concept of physical climax, only the sensory experience that can be derived from immersing yourself in the deepening memory.
Many therapists begin by guiding recursion upon memories that include feeling the warmth of sunlight, a breeze, etc.. and then move on to immobilization visualization ie: buried in sand at the beach..
for a horrifying read on phantom itching: (Score:5, Informative)
consider this new yorker piece:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/06/30/080630fa_fact_gawande?currentPage=all [newyorker.com]
basically, this poor woman's condition has bolstered neurologists rethinking of the itch sensation as something completely unrelated to pain. she had an incredibly rare "phantom itch". how disabling was it? she scratched THROUGH HER SKULL, until she was scratching brain matter
she survived, in a debilitated condition, but she did better than her roommate, who, with a similar phantom itch, scratched through to his carotid, and killed himself
read, for an especially horrifying insight into what its like to live with a phantom itch:
Re:bloggers aren't jouros (Score:3, Informative)
Gotcha, sorry I was snarky.
But the bottom of the article does say "The study was led by Asaid Khateb of Geneva University Hospitals and was published in a recent issue of Annals of Neurology."
I think the links to press releases are because that site (examiner.com) seems to make it's money by funneling traffic to its clients, in this case apparently eurekalert.org. Just my guess :)