Question

Doug lost his left leg in an automobile accident several months ago. He tells his wife that when he was shaving his face one morning, he felt the same scraping sensation on his missing leg. What may account for Doug's phantom limb sensation?a. Reorganization of the somatosensory cortexb. Misappropriated top-down processing c. Spinal cord axons attempting to reinnervate the site of the injuryd. Motor cortex redirecting its outputs

Answer 1

Answer: a. Reorganization of the somatosensory cortex

Explanation:

The loss of sensory inputs of the muscles can be caused due to loss of limb or injury. The stroke may also cause a direct injury to the  sensory system of the body.

The reorganization may be beneficial in promoting the recovery of the lost functions of the body. The reorganization can be detrimental and may result in greater impairments. This may also cause mis-perception or phantom pain on the site of injury or the site of lost limb.

Based on the above description, Doug may experience scraping sensation on his missing leg due to the reorganization of the somatosensory cortex.