After an amputation, a large number of patients report that they can still feel their amputated limb as if it was still there. They report regular sensual experiences such as being touched on the missing limb and, especially in the time right after surgery, they sometimes “forget” that the limb is not there anymore. For example, one patient reported that after the amputation of the lower part of one leg, she took off the shoe from her remaining foot and immediately turned over to take off the shoe from her other foot, which, of course, was missing. This phenomenon has been described in the medical literature as phantom limb syndrome.
This PBL case offers students the opportunity to explore this complex condition and gain a deeper understanding of brain function, particularly as relates to proprioception, body schema and motor control.
Simon J. Büchner studied Cognitive Science and Philosophy in Freiburg and Cognitive Psychology in Amherst, Massachusetts, supported by scholarships from the Baden-Württemberg Foundation and the Fulbright Commission. He then worked in interdisciplinary research projects on human spatial navigation and received a PhD in Psychology from the University of Freiburg. As a graduate student, he was a visiting researcher at Concordia University, Montréal. Dr. Büchner is responsible for the Major Life Sciences at the University College Freiburg. This includes the development of the curriculum, the course offerings per semester, recruiting and supporting Teaching Fellows, as well as thesis supervision.
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