Causes

The exact cause of phantom pain is still unclear, but it appears to originate in the brain. After an amputation, the nerves that used to serve that limb apparently "rewire" themselves, which remaps the brain's circuitry. During imaging scans — such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or positron emission tomography (PET) — specific portions of the brain show activity when the person feels phantom pain.

2007-11-09

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