phantom limb

the feeling that an amputated limb is still present, often manifested as a tingling or, occasionally, painful sensation in the area of the missing limb (phantom limb pain). It is thought that the brain’s cortical representation of the limb remains intact and continues to signal the presence of the amputated limb in the absence of normal somesthetic stimulation. See also breast-phantom phenomenon.

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Psychology term of the day

May 7th 2024

Landolt circles

a set of circles with gaps of varying size, used to test visual acuity. Also called Landolt Cs. [Edmund Landolt (1846–1926), French ophthalmologist]