Can the nerve impulses also help with sensation?
Dr. Cederna: With sensation, the exact same thing can happen. If we have a high tech prosthetic device that has sensors in the fingertips, like temperature and pressure sensors, we can convert the signals from prosthesis and stimulate the sensory nerve in the amputation stump. If the signals in the prosthesis get converted into an electrical current from the prosthesis, we can feed that current back into the sensory nerves and deliver that sensation back to the brain, so then the brain knows what the prosthesis is feeling. What type of sensations does the patient have? Dr. Cederna: Really, the only limit would be how high tech this prosthesis can be. If they can put a pressure transducer and light touch sensors in the prosthesis, someone might be able to reach down, grab a cup of hot coffee in a Styrofoam cup and pick it up without dropping it because they can feel how much pressure they have on the Styrofoam cup without crushing it. Now, if they try to do that, they would have to look
