Editing Optical illusion (section)

=== The rubber hand illusion (RHI) ===
[[File:Phantom-limb-illusion.jpg|thumb|A visual representation of what an amputee with [[Phantom limb|phantom limb syndrome]] senses]]
The [[rubber hand illusion]] (RHI), a [[Multisensory integration|multi-sensory]] illusion involving both [[visual perception]] and [[touch]], has been used to study how [[Phantom limb|phantom limb syndrome]] affects amputees over time.<ref name=":02"/> [[Amputation|Amputees]] with the syndrome actually responded to RHI more strongly than controls, an effect that was often consistent for both the sides of the intact and the amputated arm.<ref name=":02" /> However, in some studies, amputees actually had stronger responses to RHI on their intact arm, and more recent amputees responded to the illusion better than amputees who had been missing an arm for years or more.<ref name=":02" /> Researchers believe this is a sign that the [[body schema]], or an individual's sense of their own body and its parts, progressively adapts to the post-amputation state.<ref name=":02" /> Essentially, the amputees were learning to no longer respond to sensations near what had once been their arm.<ref name=":02" /> As a result, many have suggested the use of RHI as a tool for monitoring an amputee's progress in reducing their phantom limb sensations and adjusting to the new state of their body.<ref name=":02" />

Other research used RHI in the rehabilitation of amputees with [[Prosthesis|prosthetic]] limbs.<ref name=":1">Christ, Oliver; Reiner, Miriam (2014-07-01). "Perspectives and possible applications of the rubber hand and virtual hand illusion in non-invasive rehabilitation: Technological improvements and their consequences". Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. Applied Neuroscience: Models, methods, theories, reviews. A Society of Applied Neuroscience (SAN) special issue. 44: 33–44. [[Doi (identifier)|doi]]:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.02.013. [[ISSN (identifier)|ISSN]] 0149-7634</ref> After prolonged exposure to RHI, the amputees gradually stopped feeling a dissociation between the prosthetic (which resembled the rubber hand) and the rest of their body.<ref name=":1" /> This was thought to be because they adjusted to responding to and moving a limb that did not feel as connected to the rest of their body or senses.<ref name=":1" />

RHI may also be used to diagnose certain disorders related to impaired [[proprioception]] or impaired sense of [[touch]] in non-amputees.<ref name=":1" />