Scientists from Manchester University (Murray and his team [1][2]) have proven that patients suffering pain in their inexsistent phanton limbs can relieve pain by using visualisation. Using different techniques, from a simple mirror to advanced virtual reality systems where the patient is able to even control the virtual limb, researchers have proven that visualisation can help the brain to relieve the 'phantom' pain.

Somehow, the brain recalls sensory information coming from the amputated limb, and this causes conscious pain in the patient. These results suggest that self-consciousness mechanisms are affected by the amputation and the brain cannot automatically adapt its internal model.

[1] C. D. Murray, E. Patchick, S. Pettifer, T. Howard, J. Kalkarni, and C. Bamford. Investigating the efficacy of a virtual mirror box in treating phantom limb pain in a sample of chronic sufferers. International Journal of Disability and Human Development, page to appear, 2007.

[2] C. D. Murray, S. Pettifer, T. Howard, E. Patchick, J. Kalkarni, and C. Bamford. The treatment of phantom limb pain using immersive virtual reality: three case studies. Disability and Rehabilitation, page to appear, 2007.

Related Links:

• Dr. Steve Pettifer page.
• Dr. Craig Murray Page.

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As published in the last issue of JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Association) by Irene Tracey (Oxford University) emotions and motivations play an important role in the mechanisms of the perception of pain in the human brain. Using brain imaging techniques with patients suffering chronic pain neuroscientists have discovered that pain perception areas are activated at the same time as expectation areas. In one hand, anxiety and anticipation can worsen a pain experience. On the other hand, positive experiences can relieve the pain perception.

Cognition and consciousness mechanisms obviously greatly affect the amount of perceived pain. As Tracey argues, pain requires much attention. She has demonstrated that inattentive or amused subjects feel less discomfort when applying heat in the hand. In fact, distraction techniques are being evaluated as painkillers.

Other conscious pain inhibitors are motivations. When a harmful stimulus appears, the perception of the pain can be reduced if there is a reason to ignore the pain. For instance, during the search for food, endogenous opioids are released to eliminate the pain feeling, Tracey explains in her paper.

• Link to University of Oxford PAIN Group. 
  

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The following systems are based on Baars' GWT (Global Workspace Theory) and have been developed by University of Memphis Cognitive Computing Research Group:

IDA (Intelligent Distribution Agent) addresses the Navy's problem of job distribution using the Conscious Agent Framework. IDA is a verycomplex agent that perceives e-mails from sailors, deliberates on the right jobs for the sailor and negotiates with the sailor in the context of sailor's preferences and Navy's policies. This project is funded by ONR (Office of Naval Research) and NPRST (Naval Personnel Research, Studies, and Technology).

LIDA (Learning IDA) adds various mode of human-like learning to the IDA architecture, including perceptual, episodic, procedural and attentional learning.

LIDA-AV is applied to the realm of cognitive robotics, LIDA-AV aims to control an autonomous vehicle with the LIDA technology. (see project page).

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www.Conscious-Robots.com has been built using the following systems and components (all of them freely available):

- Intel based server running FreeBSD operating system [1].
- Web server is Apache [2].
- Database manager is MySQL [3].
- Programming language is PHP [4].
- Content Management System is Joomla (code modified) [5].
- Multi-language support by JoomFish [6].
- Forums implemented using Joomlaboard [7].
- PHP Caching done using Cache-Lite (code modified) [8].
- SEF and SEO implemented using JoomSEF [9].
- Sitemap and Google XML Sitemaps by Joomap [10].
- Frontpage template by Madeyourweb (modified) [11].
- Integration by me


[1] http://www.freebsd.org/
[2] http://www.apache.org/
[3] http://www.mysql.com/
[4] http://www.php.net/
[5] http://www.joomla.org/
[6] http://www.joomfish.net/
[7] http://www.tsmf.net/
[8] http://pear.php.net/package/Cache_Lite
[9] http://www.artio.cz/
[10] http://developer.joomla.org/sf/projects/joomap
[11] http://www.madeyourweb.com/

This is a link to an online application where you can add, view and manage the call for papers from the conferences of your interest.

• Call for Papers Application.

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This is a link to an online application where you can add, view and manage the call for papers from the conferences of your interest.

• Call for Papers Application.

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