(c) University of Nottingham
MIRAGE技術を使った，指の伸縮の錯覚を起こす実験
指が伸縮する錯覚が関節炎の痛みを軽減することが，英国の大学で行われた一般市民への大学公開イベントがきっかけで明らかになった。参加者の興味を引く実演として，参加者の指を画像に映し，スタッフが指先を実際に押したり引いたりするのに反応して画像中の指が極端に伸縮するのを見せ，本当に伸縮している錯覚を起こさせた。これに偶然参加したある女性が，関節炎の指の痛みが軽くなったと驚いた。後に20名の関節炎患者で実験すると，患者の85%で痛みが半減した。理学療法中の痛みの除去に役立つと考えられる。（吉田素子）
Illusion can Halve the Pain of Osteoarthritis, Scientists Say
A serendipitous discovery by academics at The University of Nottingham has shown that a simple illusion can significantly reduce -- and in some cases even temporarily eradicate -- arthritic pain in the hand.
By tricking the brain into believing that the painful part of the hand is being stretched or shrunk, the researchers were able to halve the pain felt by 85 per cent of sufferers they tested.
The research could point to new technologies of the future which could assist patients in improving mobility in their hand by reducing the amount of pain they experience while undergoing physiotherapy.
The Nottingham team stumbled on its finding completely by chance during the University’s Community Open Day in April last year.
As part of the event they invited members of the public to experience some of the body distortion illusions they use as part of their every day research using Nottingham’s unique MIRAGE technology -- which takes a real-time video capture image of a hand and uses computer manipulations combined with physically pulling or pushing on the hand to fool the brain into believing the hand is stretching or shrinking.
Up until now, the technology has been used for fundamental research into body representation -- the way in which our brain puts together what we see and what we feel.
Dr Roger Newport who is leading the research in the School of Psychology said: “The majority of people who come to these fun events are kids -- the illusions really capture their imagination and they think it’s a cool trick and can become a bit obsessed with working out how we do it.”
［単語和訳］
Illusion：錯覚 Halve：～を半減させる Osteoarthritis：変形性関節症
serendipitous：偶然の academics：学者 significantly：著しく temporarily：一時的に eradicate：～を除去する arthritic：関節炎の
brain：脳 is being shrunk：縮められている researchers：研究者 sufferers：患者
point to：～を提示する mobility：可動性 undergoing：受けていること physiotherapy：理学療法
stumbled on：～に行き当たった by chance：偶然に Community Open Day：地域の人々への一般公開日
members of the public：一般市民 distortion：歪み MIRAGE：（University of Nottinghamの独自の技術の名称） real-time：リアルタイムの video capture image：ビデオ取り込み画像 manipulations：操作 physically：物理的に fool～into ～をだまして...させる
body representation：身体表象 puts together：～をまとめる
Psychology：心理学 become obsessed with：～で頭がいっぱいになる a bit：少し working out：解明すること
