Chapter 1
The tricks of vision
Chapter 2
The sound of silence
Chapter 3
The fragile vault of memory
Chapter 4
The phantom self
YOUR GOAL
Master of How your brain lies
Ch 4 · The phantom self
artiteacher The phantom self
What you think is real, Your brain helps you feel, A constructed deal!
artiteacher Virtual reality can trick our vestibular and visual systems into feeling physical motion.
artiteacher Phantom limb syndrome reveals that the brain's internal map of the body persists after amputation.
BETA
artiteacher Spot the silly shadow to discover how your brain creates illusions.
Fun Fact
Mirror box therapy: Neurologist V.S. Ramachandran used simple mirrors to cure painful phantom limb cramps by tricking the brain into seeing the missing limb relax.
Glossary
phantom limb (noun)
The sensation that an amputated or missing limb is still attached to the body. V.S. Ramachandran pioneered mirror therapy in 1996 to treat pain in these non-existent appendages.
The sensation that an amputated or missing limb is still attached to the body. V.S. Ramachandran pioneered mirror therapy in 1996 to treat pain in these non-existent appendages.
Quiz
What happens during the rubber hand illusion when the rubber hand and real hand are stroked at the same time?
Quiz
What is the scientific term for the body's internal sense of its own position and movement in space?
Quiz
Which sensory system in the inner ear detects balance, spatial orientation, and motion?
Quiz
What percentage of amputees are estimated to experience phantom limb sensations?
Quiz
Who invented the 'mirror box' therapy to help patients suffering from painful phantom limb cramps?