Phantom Limbs Case Study

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What brain regions are likely involved in the experience of pain from phantom limbs? Why did you select those specific brain region(s)?
In my opinion, cerebral cortex and thalamus are likely involved in the experience of pain from phantom limbs.
The thalamus is a sensory relay for the brain. All of our senses except smell are routed through the thalamus before being directed to other areas of the brain for processing. If the thalamus does not involve in the experience of pain from phantom limbs, the patients cannot get the signal of pain. The somatosensory area on cerebral cortex manages nerve centers of feeling on human body. If the thalamus does not involve in the experience of pain from phantom limbs, the patients cannot feel pain.
Based on the participation of the two regions, the patients would feel pain …show more content…
The limb was cut from patients’ body, however, patients can still feel the pain from it. The pain will be relived after the patients saw the mirror image of complete limbs.

What is happening in the mind when a person “unlearns” the “learned pain”?
After the limb was cut, the thalamus should not get any “message” from the part disappeared and the somatosensory area on cerebral cortex cannot do response. It means the patients should not feel anything on it. Maybe there are some other factors that make patients pain.
At first, the touch on the limbs’ stump may also cause the pain because of the nerve distribution. Some stimuli on certain non-pain areas of the body after amputation may induce phantom limb sensation. Sometimes the weather and humidity can be the inducements.
Secondly, maybe the pain from phantom limbs is a process of transition. Brains need a few time to adapt the new situation that without limbs. If the pain from phantom limbs just lasted a short period time after the patient lost his limb, the pain from phantom limbs may be a process of
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