Phantom Limbs, Neuroprosthetics, and the Developmental Origins of Embodiment.

Phantom Limbs, Neuroprosthetics, and the Developmental Origins of Embodiment.

Trends Neurosci. 2017 Aug 23;:

Authors: Blumberg MS, Dooley JC

Abstract
Amputees who wish to rid themselves of a phantom limb must weaken the neural representation of the absent limb. Conversely, amputees who wish to replace a lost limb must assimilate a neuroprosthetic with the existing neural representation. Whether we wish to remove a phantom limb or assimilate a synthetic one, we will benefit from knowing more about the developmental process that enables embodiment. A potentially critical contributor to that process is the spontaneous activity - in the form of limb twitches - that occurs exclusively and abundantly during active (REM) sleep, a particularly prominent state in early development. The sensorimotor circuits activated by twitching limbs, and the developmental context in which activation occurs, could provide a roadmap for creating neuroprosthetics that feel as if they are part of the body.

PMID: 28843655 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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