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. 2011 Dec 3;27(6):359–365. doi: 10.1007/s12264-011-1737-6

The phantom and the supernumerary phantom limb: historical review and new case

幻肢和余剩幻肢研究的历史性回顾及新病例报告

Gabriele Cipriani 1,✉, Lucia Picchi 1, Marcella Vedovello 1, Angelo Nuti 1, Mario Di Fiorino 2
PMCID: PMC5560386  PMID: 22108813

Abstract

The way we experience the world is determined by the way our brain works. The phantom limb phenomenon, which is a delusional belief of the presence of a non-existent limb, has a particular fascination in neurology. This positive phenomenon of the phantom limb raises theoretical questions about its nature. After a stroke, some patients experience the perception of an extra limb in addition to the regular set of two arms and two legs. This complex cognitive and perceptual distortion is called supernumerary phantom limb. Here, we review the pathogenesis and historical aspects, and report a new case.

Keywords: phantom limb, supernumerary phantom limb, body schema

Footnotes

“The phantom I had conjured up swiftly disappeared, but no spirit could have more amazed the man, so real did it seem.”

—Silas Wier Mitchell, 1872

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