His work in neurology has helped patients with phantom limb pain, a particularly cruel affliction for people who have lost an arm or a leg.

FORBES: Getting Inside V. S. Ramachandran's Head

In 2009 he used the phantom limb again to provide evidence for this theory, showing that sufferers could experience relief from phantom pain merely by watching someone else massaging or flexing their own hand.

BBC: What phantom limbs and mirrors teach us about the brain

Researchers at the University of Manchester are turning to virtual reality once again, not to have another go 'round at proving whether telepathy is real or not, but to help individuals with amputated limbs recover from so-called "phantom limb pain, " a sensation wherein amputees appear to feel pain in their lost limb.

ENGADGET: Researchers turn to VR to treat phantom limb pain

Those who wait longer for a fake limb seem to suffer more from phantom pain.

BBC: What phantom limbs and mirrors teach us about the brain