h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Was speaking to someone on a web-forum today who was saying after surgery and an infection had led to part of their penis being amputated they had started to feel sensation from organ that area in other places across their back, thighs and bum.

This reminded me of a book I read last year about neural plasticity - and the re-assignment of brain-maps following injury or surgery, and I told them about this and they seemed satisfied - but it got me wondering does anybody know anything more about this?


The book was "The Brain which changes itself" by Norman Doidge.

I know, from personal experience I had an entirely messed up sense of taste for 6 or so years, after I was in a road traffic accident and got my head smashed to pieces.. Then at some point it kinda started working again... It was more than just a taste thing, mind, certain things, especially sweet things or fizzy drinks etc, would make me vomit, and the taste was wrong... for about two years after I couldn't drink coffee properly but at least that didnt' make me vomit The touch sense on my right side of my face has simularly gradually gotten better, it used to be the whole of the right side, cheek side of the nose, round the eye etc., all felt very weird when touched... sort of like it was just coming round from an anasetic after removing a tooth... it gradually improved, and now there are just a few very specific places there which give odd sensations when touched

It's a rather new idea as I recall, that the brain remaps the body after having lost part of itself. It's supposed to explain phantom pain. There was an episode of House, where he used an interesting technique, which is apparently real. A man had his hand amputated years earlier, and yet had been having pain in that hand for years. Using some mirrors and a box, House made him/his brain think his current hand was his missing hand. He then got him to open the hand, as it apparently had been shaped into a fist according to his brain. This stopped the phantom pain in his missing hand.

That's a real treatment developed by the neurologist V.S Ramachandran.

Here's a TED talk by Ramachandran:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl2LwnaUA-k

Around 9:40 into the youtube: Phantom Limb