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[Feb. 8th, 2006|09:39 am] |
...discovery goes some way to resolving the enigma of whether motor commands or receptors in the skin, joints and muscles are more important for creating a feeling of movement.
Gandevia's team studied eight volunteers, by either anaesthetising their forearm and hand, or restricting the flow of blood to the limb. Both techniques deadened sensation to the extent that the volunteers felt they had a "phantom" hand with fingers clenched, though in fact their fingers were fully extended. When they were asked to flex or extend their wrists, they consistently reported that the position of their hand had changed, in the direction of their efforts, even though it did not move. When they were asked to increase their efforts, the perceived change also increased.
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg18925375.000 |
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