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Can you still feel a limb that's gone? - Joshua W. Pate

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TEDEd Animation

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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.

To type on a keyboard, your brain needs to know where your fingers are, how big they are, and what shape they are. What other parts of life might be influenced by knowing that your brain has a "map" of your body?

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About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Joshua W. Pate
  • Director Tolga Yıldız
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Art Director Tolga Yıldız
  • Illustrator İbrahim Hakkı Uslu
  • Producer Serin İnan
  • 3D Animator Önay Günkut
  • Storyboard Artist İbrahim Hakkı Uslu
  • Composer Tolga Yıldız
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Associate Editorial Producer Elizabeth Cox
  • Fact-Checker Francisco Diez

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