Three anniversaries Nov 10, 2009
For the residents of the former East Germany who appear in "Stasiland," the disappeared Wall is a phantom limb. The memory of Communist "logic" is the voice they still lapse into, a type of dadaist fascism that feels less real than imagined. (Salon)
Must-see Exploratorium exhibits Oct 31, 2009
This phenomenon was used by neuroscientist Vilayanur Ramachandran, once an Osher Fellow at the Exploratorium, to create his groundbreaking mirror-box therapy, which assists amputees in dealing with phantom limb pain. Shadow Box: One of the museum's more popular exhibits, the "Shadow Box" is a room with walls covered in phosphorescent vinyl. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
Halloween events around the bay Oct 26, 2009
Shocktoberfest: If Grand Guignol is your thing, consider the 10th annual Thrillpeddlers event featuring two one-act plays ("The Torture Garden" and "The Phantom Limb" plus the Cockettes' musical "Pearls Over Shanghai." 8 p.m. Thurs. -Fri. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Researcher Trips Amputees In Effort To Develop Improved Prosthetic Legs Sep 17, 2009
To better understand the phenomenon, dubbed "phantom limb syndrome," a graduate. (Dec. (Science Daily)
Non-invasive Brain Surgery Moves A Step Closer Aug 20, 2009
The origin of chronic pain in these patients included post amputation phantom limb syndrome, nerve injury, stroke, trigeminal neuralgia and post herpetic neuralgia from shingles. The findings will be published in a forthcoming issue of Annals of Neurology. (Science Daily)
Limb-sparing Surgery May Not Provide Better Quality Of Life Than Amputation For Bone Cancer Patients Aug 12, 2009
24, 2007) Phantom limb pain occurs in at least 90% of limb amputees. In a new study, one group of amputees viewed a reflective image of themselves in a mirror (mirror group); a second group viewed a covered. (Science Daily)
'Mirror therapy' aids US amputees Aug 1, 2009
US soldiers who have lost limbs in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan are benefiting from an unusual treatment to deal with 'phantom limb' pain. Dr Jack Tsao of the Walter Reed Hospital is using "mirror therapy" to alleviate the pain patients experience even after their limbs are gone. (BBC News)
Rubber hand video Jul 10, 2009
A using mirrors has been employed to reduce phantom limb pain in amputees. The success of these illusions reveals a fundamental disconnection between what we know consciously to be true and what we physically feel. (Why Files)
Amputees Control Bionic Limbs With Brains Jul 6, 2009
27, 2009) Phantom limbs, often described after amputation, are also experienced as an extra limb in patients who are paralyzed on one side following a stroke. Referred to as supernumerary phantom limb. (Science Daily)
Phantom fat can linger Jun 24, 2009
We were kind of playing on the concept of phantom limb, he says, in which people whove lost an arm or leg feel like the limb is there and even causing them pain or itching. In his study, published in the journal Body Image, Hrabosky and colleagues questioned 165 women who were grouped into three categories: those who were currently overweight, formerly overweight (and at an average weight for at least two years) and never overweight. (MSNBC -- Health)
New hand helps soldier grip life Jun 21, 2009
After the hand was removed, Cpl. McCart reported what is referred to as phantom limb pain, feeling twitching or tingling from a finger that was no longer there. That seems to have subsided with his prosthesis. (The Augusta Chronicle)
The Shins offer a nod to the past May 23, 2009
In particular, "Girl Don't Tell Me," the Beach Boys song, with its bittersweet twilight-of-summer theme offset by a pulsating tempo, felt like a wellspring from which other Shins' tunes flowed including the lilting "Phantom Limb," the night's first singalong, and the gently cooed encore "New Slang." "Helpless" ached with wistfulness multiplied by four-part harmony. And "Dry the Rain" built slowly to a hypnotic, clattering groove and was one of several songs to balance austere beginnings of just... (Boston Globe)
Venture Brothers Season 3 DVD Revie... May 16, 2009
And that s not counting Monarch Henchmen 21 and 24, Dr. Orpheus and the Order of the Triad, Pete White and Billy Quizboy, Jonas Venture Jr., Phantom Limb, the 1960s Team Venture, Colonel Hunter-Gathers, Molotov Cocktease, and the Murderous Moppets ... The flashback episode The Invisible Hand of Fate is probably the worst offender: How Billy Quizboy lost his hand and how Phantom Limb got his powers have already been discussed in Season 2, and the ambiguous resolution is arguably better than the... (Suite101.com)
Sentinel Morning Update: Zoning board approves outdoor market May 8, 2009
Washburn explained that the mirror box helps amputees with phantom limb syndrome. Most people just get sensations, Nickle said. (Carlisle Sentinel, PA)
The Mind-Body Problem Apr 15, 2009
These bizarre conditions named (BIID) and supernumerary phantom limb, respectively are now believed to have a neurological basis, and a growing body of literature suggests that such body awareness disorders occur as a result of abnormal activity in the right superior parietal lobule (SPL) ... Supernumerary phantom limb is a much rarer condition that usually occurs following a stroke ... Mostly this feels much the same as the phantom limbs of amputees an illusion, from which sensations sometimes... (Scientific American)
Brain Activity Associated With Phantom Limbs, Study Shows Mar 28, 2009
27, 2009) Phantom limbs, often described after amputation, are also experienced as an extra limb in patients who are paralyzed on one side following a stroke. Referred to as supernumerary phantom limb (SPL), patients can usually perceive these limbs as a vivid somatosensory presence of an extra limb, but generally cannot see or intentionally move them ... In some unusual cases, however, patients have reported seeing their phantom limb or feeling objects or body parts with it, which indicates... (Science Daily)
Finding happiness online? Feb 19, 2009
Feelings he experienced went from "phantom limb" strangeness in the first week to anger and regret in the second to peace of mind in the third. Without the online distractions, he says, "I had tons of energy and have never been more productive than in that single week.". (CNN -- International)
Six Ways to Boost Brainpower Feb 19, 2009
Amputees sometimes experience phantom limb sensations, feeling , itching or other impulses coming from limbs that no longer exist. Neuroscientist Vilayanur S. Ramachandran worked with patients who had so-called phantom limbs, including Tom, a man who had lost one of his arms. (Scientific American)
Calendar: Mind Events in February and March Feb 13, 2009
This traveling exhibit sponsored by Pfizer encourages kids (and adults) to walk inside a giant model of the brain, perform simulated brain surgery and experience phantom limb syndrome. Meet your brain at the Strategic Air and Space Museum through May 3. (Scientific American)
