Joshua W. Pate: The fascinating science of phantom limbs

The fascinating science of phantom limbs

The vast majority of people who've lost a limb can still feel it — not as a memory or vague shape, but in complete lifelike detail. They can flex their phantom fingers and sometimes even feel the chafe of a watch band or the throb of an ingrown toenail. What causes these phantom limb sensations? Joshua W. Pate explains how the brain reacts to a missing limb. [TED-Ed Animation by Kozmonot Animation Studio].

Even after losing a limb, most people still vividly feel its presence, sometimes sensing details as specific as a watchband’s chafe or the ache of an ingrown toenail. These sensations highlight how the brain preserves a map of the body, even generating 'phantom' feelings for limbs that never existed. Changes in nerve pathways and brain regions after amputation can cause intense pain, showing that the body and mind are deeply intertwined. Understanding phantom limbs sheds new light on how our brains construct our physical reality.