V.S. Ramachandran

Ramachandran created the mirror box to treat phantom limb pain in amputees by using visual feedback to trick the brain. The patient places their intact limb into a box with a mirror, making it appear as though the missing limb has returned and is moving painlessly. This simple experiment helped show how the brain's body image can be rewired.

Ramachandran used simple, low-tech behavioral experiments to study synesthesia, a condition where people experience crossed senses, like seeing colors when hearing numbers. He proposed that this occurs due to cross-wiring in the brain's fusiform gyrus. His work helped explain how a structural brain anomaly can lead to a blending of sensory experiences.

Ramachandran conducts his research in behavioral neurology and visual psychophysics at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). He is also the director of the Center for Brain and Cognition there. Much of his famous work focuses on utilizing relatively simple experiments to probe complex neurological conditions.

Ramachandran has authored several popular science books, most notably *Phantoms in the Brain*, co-written with Sandra Blakeslee. The book details his fascinating clinical cases and neurological experiments, exploring mysteries like phantom limbs and visual illusions. *The Tell-Tale Brain* is another prominent book where he explores the unique architecture of the human brain.