Is mirror therapy all it is cracked up to be? Current evidence and future directions.

摘要

That viewing oneself through a mirror can evoke peculiar experiences has intrigued researchers for more than a century [34]. The typical approach involves placing one limb behind a mirror that is situated along an observer's midline. The observer who looks at the mirror's surface will perceive the reflected limb to be the limb that is hidden behind the mirror. People subjectively report the experience of 'seeing through' the mirror's surface, as though it were actually transparent. This approach exploits the brain's predilection for prioritising visual feedback over somatosensory/proprioceptive feedback concerning limb position. For the amputee who 'places' their phantom behind the mirror, it may feel as though the phantom has 'come alive' [30]. This has led to a novel approach to pain reduction in this notoriously difficult to treat population [30], one that has understandably received a great deal of attention in the scientific, clinical, and popular press. We critically evaluate the current state ofthe evidence that mirror therapy reduces pain, summarise relevant findings concerning the other effects on the human brain of using mirrors, and suggest implications for clinical practice and research.