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Abstract
The phenomenon of a phantom limb is a common experience after a limb has been amputated
or its sensory roots have been destroyed. A complete break of the spinal cord also
often leads to a phantom body below the level of the break. Furthermore, a phantom
of the breast, the penis, or of other innervated body parts is reported after surgical
removal of the structure. A substantial number of children who are born without a
limb feel a phantom of the missing part, suggesting that the neural network, or 'neuromatrix',
that subserves body sensation has a genetically determined substrate that is modified
by sensory experience.