Our brain may not be as capable of rewiring following an amputation as we thought, which could have serious implications for how we treat a common complication called phantom limb pain. A part of the brain called the somatosensory cortex receives and processes sensory information across the body, such as touch and temperature. Some studies suggest the areas of the cortex are mapped to different parts of the body, so a different area will light up if you burn your hand versus your toe, for instance. It has also been suggested that the somatosensory cortex reorganises itself in the case of an amputation or severed nerve. For example, in a study of macaques whose arm nerves had been severed, neurons in the somatosensory cortex that normally respond to stimulation of the hand were instead activated by touching the face.

Remarkable video shows a woman using a bionic arm so sensitive it can pick up a screwdriver and coins -- using just the power of her thoughts. The Swedish woman, known only as Karin, suffered a devastating farming accident 20 years ago that robbed her of her right arm. Over the last two decades she has suffered excruciating phantom limb pain, leaving her feeling like she'constantly had [her] hand in a meat grinder'. Karin also found conventional prostheses uncomfortable and unreliable. In hope of creating an alternative that can be fully attached to a stump and a provide better range of motion, a team of engineers and surgeons from Sweden, Australia, Italy and the US developed an improved prosthetic limb.

Scientists have found why amputees feel the sensation of phantom limb pain. It is due to this reorganization pain occurs in the amputated limbs of a vast majority of amputees. The researchers also found a proposed way of treating the affliction through the use of artificial intelligence techniques. The researchers used a brain-machine interface to come up with this conclusion. They trained a group of ten amputees so they could control a robotic arm from their brain. The research team found learning to control the prosthetic through the amputated arm resulted in pain.