A leading theory of phantom limb pain holds that this experience is due to:

Question

A) expectations of pain.
B) leftover nerve endings in the missing body part.
C) the rewiring of the brain after the loss of input from the lost limb.
D) the release of inflammatory substances that cause pain.

Answer 1

Answer: C
Rationale: One explanation for phantom pain is that re-wiring occurs in the brain following loss of the limb. When a limb is lost, an area of the somatosensory cortex is no longer stimulated by the lost limb. Thus, if someone has their left arm amputated, the right somatosensory cortex that registers sensations from the left arm no longer has any input from it. Healthy nerve cells become hypersensitive when they lose connections. The phantom sensations, including pain, may occur because the nerve cells in the cortex continue to be active, despite the absence of any input.