Somatognosia, Body Scheme, Visceral and Somatic Phantom, and Phantom Pain

Overview

The body scheme is a complex of memory patterns secured in the structures of the brain, where the parietal lobesplay the most important role. Basic principles are given by the genetic programming of the structure and functionalong with the synthesis of information brought by means of sensory activity. The unitary perception of the bodyscheme is a dynamic image, enabling conscious and unconscious representation of our body, its parts, their functions,position, shape and/or movements. The recognition of the body scheme in humans is named somatognosia. Disordersof somatognosia include visceral and somatic phantom, phantom pain and other disorders related to the capabilityof communication by means of language: autotopoagnosia, hemiasomatognosia, pain asymboly, anosognosia ofhemiplegia, anosognosia of blindness, deafness, neglect and other defects appearing at the neurologist’s andpsychiatrist‘s borderline of interest. Interest in the visceral phantom is usually much smaller than that in the phantomlimb. The aim of this paper was to draw the to phantom phenomena in patients following rectum amputation andcolostomy. A survey of contemporary knowledge about the body scheme and its disorders, cortical plasticity and theproblem of cortical maladaptation are presented.

Key words:
phantom pain, visceral and somatic phantom, somatognosia, body scheme, cortical plasticity.