Who was Ramachandran?
Ramachandran, FRS (8 October 1922 – 7 April 2001) was an Indian physicist who was known for his work that led to his creation of the Ramachandran plot for understanding peptide structure. He was the first to propose a triple-helical model for the structure of collagen.
What does Dr Ramachandran claim is happening during phantom limb syndrome?
After realizing that phantom limb pain originated in the brain — and that the brain could be remapped — Ramachandran realized he needed to trick patients’ brains into unlearning the pain associated with their phantom limbs. “We call this phenomenon learned pain or learned paralysis,” he says.
Why did Dr Ramachandran’s patient feel his amputated hand when his face was touched?
Sure enough, when touching a patient’s face on the same side as an amputated limb, the patient reported that he could feel the sensation in his phantom missing limb. What this proved, he explains, is that the brain is constantly remapping itself as we age.
What did VS Ramachandran do?
Ramachandran invented mirror therapy which is now used to treat amputees with phantom limb pain and also to help restore motor control in stroke victims with weakened limbs.
What does the Ramachandran plot tell us?
The Ramachandran plot shows the statistical distribution of the combinations of the backbone dihedral angles ϕ and ψ. In theory, the allowed regions of the Ramachandran plot show which values of the Phi/Psi angles are possible for an amino acid, X, in a ala-X-ala tripeptide (Ramachandran et al., 1963).
What does phantom limb tell us about the brain?
It appeared to demonstrate the plasticity of brain modules – their ability to adapt to each other and their environment. This was a radical idea as the established notion at the time was that the brain is made up of independent modules, insulated from each other and hardwired to a specific function.
Why do some amputees not have any phantom sensations?
Many experts believe phantom pain may be at least partially explained as a response to mixed signals from the brain. After an amputation, areas of the spinal cord and brain lose input from the missing limb and adjust to this detachment in unpredictable ways.
What is a phantom arm?
A phantom limb is a vivid perception that a limb that has been removed or amputated is still present in the body and performing its normal functions. Amputees usually experience sensations including pain in the phantom limb.
What is the difference between torsion angle and dihedral angle?
The angle between two bonds A torsion angle, also known as a dihedral angle, is formed by three consecutive bonds in a molecule and defined by the angle created between the two outer bonds. The backbone of a protein has three different torsion angles.
How do I get the Ramachandran plot?
Instructions:
- Select a protein structure file in PDB format from your hard disk.
- Select Amino Acid type to show.
- Check the boxes for Glycine, Verbosity, and Labels as desired.
- Click the GO! button.