BACKGROUND A phantom shock-the sensation of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) discharge in the absence of an actual discharge-is a phenomenon that can occur in ICD patients. Little is known about the influence of psychological factors on the incidence of phantom shocks. We evaluated psychological correlates of phantom shocks 2 years post-ICD implant in a cohort of Dutch ICD recipi...

Tinnitus is an auditory phantom sensation of ringing in the ears that is experienced when no external sound is present. It is a prevalent disorder that is frequently caused by insults to the peripheral auditory and somatosensory systems, especially in the elderly. This creates an imbalance between inhibitory and excitatory transmitter actions in the midbrain, auditory cortex and brainstem (wher...

Tinnitus is a common phantom sensation resulting most often from sensory deprivation, and for which little knowledge on the molecular mechanisms exists. While the existing evidence for a genetic influence on the condition has been until now sparse and underpowered, recent data suggest that specific forms of tinnitus have a strong genetic component revealing that not all tinnitus percepts are al...

Almost all patients who undergo amputation suffer 'phantom sensations', a sensory perception of the missing limb, possibly caused by a neural imprint or memory of the limb within the brain. The patient may experience abnormal kinaesthetic sensation, such as the feeling that the limb is in an abnormal position. Perceived changes in length, size or temperature of the limb are also common. Some of...

Six patients with chronic phantom tooth pain were studied for the presence of reference fields for their phantom sensation. In five of them, pain or dysesthesia in the affected oral structures was elicited by thermal or mechanical stimulation of areas that were well separate from these structures. However, a relation of topographical proximity between the stimulated areas and the areas of refer...

The post-amputation (pain) syndrome, including stump pain, phantom limb sensation, and phantom limb pain is common but difficult to treat. Refractory stump pain in the syndrome is an extremely challenging and troublesome clinical condition. Patients respond poorly to drugs, nerve blocks, and other effective treatments like spinal cord stimulation and surgery. Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) techniq...

Although involuntary movements of stumps are less frequent than phantom sensation or other neurological sequelae of limb amputation, they represent a phenomenon that has been known for many years. The pathophysiology remains unknown, but it seems to be related to damage to the peripheral nervous system. Treatment is not standardized, but antimyoclonic drugs seem to be useful.

Amputees who have a phantom limb often report the ability to move this phantom voluntarily. In the literature, phantom limb movements are generally considered to reflect motor imagery rather than motor execution. The aim of this study was to investigate whether amputees distinguish between executing a movement of the phantom limb and imagining moving the missing limb. We examined the capacity o...