Mirror-touch synaesthesia in the phantom limbs of amputees
Mirror-touch synaesthesia in the phantom limbs of amputees
复制标题
DOI：
10.1016/j.cortex.2011.05.002
复制
发表时间：
2013-01-01
期刊：
影响因子：
3.6
通讯作者：
Ward, Jamie
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Goller, Aviva I.;Richards, Kerrie;Ward, Jamie
在轻微触觉联觉中，仅仅观察另一个被触摸的人就会使观察者在自己的身体上体验到触摸的感觉。目前的研究调查了这一正常的发育状况是否可能在截肢后获得。28名截肢者观察了67个触摸事件的视频，并指出a)视频是否引发了触觉，b)触觉位于身体的哪个部位，c)感觉的强度，d)是否疼痛。几乎三分之一的截肢者报告说，当他们看到别人被触摸时，他们被截肢的幻肢上有触感。在这个特殊的群体中，感觉往往局限于幻肢或残肢，但很少报道身体的其他部位。不管看到的是什么身体部位，都会发生这种情况。当观察到真实的身体而不是假人或物体时，以及当观察到的触摸相对于无痛的轻微疼痛时，联觉感觉更加强烈。虽然幻肢疼痛的频率、强度和原因似乎并不能决定截肢者是否会报告轻微的触摸感觉，但那些报告的人表现出更大的共情情绪反应。这些结果表明，获得性联觉可能与截肢后产生的感觉丧失有关，高度共情的个体可能倾向于加强观察到的触摸和感觉到的触摸之间的现有通路。(C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd.版权所有。
In minor-touch synaesthesia merely observing another person being touched will cause the observers to experience a touch sensation on their own body. The current study investigates whether this, normally a developmental condition, might be acquired following amputation. Twenty-eight amputees observed 67 videos of touch events and indicated a) whether the video elicited tactile sensations, b) where on the body this was located, c) the intensity of the sensation, and d) whether it was painful. Almost a third of amputees report a tactile sensation on their amputated phantom limb when watching someone else being touched. In this particular group the sensations tend to be localised on the phantom limb or stump, but are rarely reported elsewhere on the body. This occurs irrespective of the body part seen. The synaesthetic sensations were more intense when real bodies were observed relative to dummies or objects, and when the observed touch is mildly painful relative to non-painful. Although frequency, intensity and cause of phantom limb pain do not appear to determine whether an amputee will report minor-touch sensations, those who do report it show greater empathic emotional reactivity. These results suggest that acquired synaesthesia may be linked with sensory loss, arising after amputation, and that highly empathic individuals could be predisposed to strengthening existing pathways between observed touch and felt touch. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.