# The fascinating science of phantom limbs

- Institution: TED
- Department: TED-Ed
- Speaker: Joshua W. Pate
- Year: 2018
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Subjects: Biology, Medicine and health
- Source: [TED](https://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_w_pate_the_fascinating_science_of_phantom_limbs)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

The vast majority of people who've lost a limb can still feel it — not as a memory or vague shape, but in complete lifelike detail. They can flex their phantom fingers and sometimes even feel the chafe of a watch band or the throb of an ingrown toenail. What causes these phantom limb sensations? Joshua W. Pate explains how the brain reacts to a missing limb. \[TED-Ed Animation by Kozmonot Animation Studio\].

## Lectures

1. [The fascinating science of phantom limbs](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/joshua_w_pate_the_fascinating_science_of_phantom_limbs/d010b1f79e0c), 5 min (TED's player)