Nuevas aproximaciones al problema del miembro fantasma

The present work analyzes the recent hypothesis related with phantomlimb (PL) genesis. This alteration is characterized by the sensationpresented by people who suffer limb amputation or nerve avulsion, andconsists in the perception, with a high grade of reality, that the limb is still present. The f...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Francisco Pellicer, Alberto López Avila
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2001
País:México
Institución:Universidad La Salle
Repositorio:Redalyc-ULSA
OAI Identifier:oai:redalyc.org:58232406
Acceso en línea:https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=58232406
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Medicina
genesis
hypothesis
amputation
Phantom limb
Descripción
Sumario:The present work analyzes the recent hypothesis related with phantomlimb (PL) genesis. This alteration is characterized by the sensationpresented by people who suffer limb amputation or nerve avulsion, andconsists in the perception, with a high grade of reality, that the limb is still present. The first studies related with the genesis of this phenomenon are controversial. Some authors state that the phantom limb is generated in the amputated limb while others propose its genesis as a centralphenomenon. One of the first proposals states that the PL is generatedby ectopic discharges of the injured nerve or neuroma. Recent works situatethe genesis of PL as the result of a high grade of encephalization,moreover, as a cognitive affective process based on the somatosensorialrepresentation in the cortex and in other cerebral nuclei. One of thehypothesis is the concept of the neuromatrix. It states the existence of a neural network that is genetically determined as well as distributed in several brain areas, that subserves body sensation. Another hypothesis is "the remapping hypothesis of the brain sensations", which suggests that the genesis of the phantom limb is due to the quick and precise cortical reorganization after deaferentation. Our group has developed another hypothesis which points out the genesis of the phantom limb in the place of the neural damage, and explains its persistence by a basic physiologicalmechanism of potentation in the cerebral areas.