Journal ArticleDOI
Rapid functional plasticity in the primary somatomotor cortex and perceptual changes after nerve block
Thomas Weiss,Wolfgang H. R. Miltner,Joachim Liepert,Winfried Meissner,Edward Taub,Edward Taub +5 more
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TLDR
It is suggested that disinhibition within the somatosensory system as a functional correlate for the known enlargement of cortical representation zones might account for not only the ‘invasion’ phenomenon, but also for the observed behavioural correlates of the nerve block.Abstract:
The mature human primary somatosensory cortex displays a striking plastic capacity to reorganize itself in response to changes in sensory input. Following the elimination of afferent return, produced by either amputation, deafferentation by dorsal rhizotomy, or nerve block, there is a well-known but little-understood ‘invasion’ of the deafferented region of the brain by the cortical representation zones of still-intact portions of the brain adjacent to it. We report here that within an hour of abolishing sensation from the radial and medial three-quarters of the hand by pharmacological blockade of the radial and median nerves, magnetic source imaging showed that the cortical representation of the little finger and the skin beneath the lower lip, whose intact cortical representation zones are adjacent to the deafferented region, had moved closer together, presumably because of their expansion across the deafferented area. A paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation procedure revealed a motor cortex disinhibition for two muscles supplied by the unaffected ulnar nerve. In addition, two notable perceptual changes were observed: increased two-point discrimination ability near the lip and mislocalization of touch of the intact ulnar portion of the fourth finger to the neighbouring third finger whose nerve supply was blocked. We suggest that disinhibition within the somatosensory system as a functional correlate for the known enlargement of cortical representation zones might account for not only the ‘invasion’ phenomenon, but also for the observed behavioural correlates of the nerve block.read more
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Extensive reorganization of the somatosensory cortex in adult humans after nervous system injury
Thomas Elbert,Herta Flor,Niels Birbaumer,Stefan Knecht,S. Hampson,Wolfgang Larbig,Edward Taub +6 more
TL;DR: In this article, magnetic source imaging revealed that the topographic representation in the somatosensory cortex of upper extremity amputees was shifted an average of 1.5 cm toward the area that would normally receive input from the now absent nerves supplying the hand and fingers.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Transition of Acute Postoperative Pain to Chronic Pain: An Integrative Overview of Research on Mechanisms
TL;DR: A need for a concerted, strategic effort toward integrating clinical epidemiology, basic science research, and current theory about pain mechanisms to hasten progress toward understanding, managing, and preventing persistent postsurgical pain is revealed.
Journal ArticleDOI
Role of distorted body image in pain.
Martin Lotze,G. Lorimer Moseley +1 more
TL;DR: This review examines the literature relating to body image distortion in people with pain, and discusses three themes: evidence of distorted body image inPeople with pain; evidence of distortion of the neural representations of body image held in primary sensory and primary motor cortex; and clinical findings that correlate with distorted body images, distorted neural representation, or both.
Journal ArticleDOI
Reorganization of Human Cerebral Cortex: The Range of Changes Following Use and Injury:
Thomas Elbert,Brigitte Rockstroh +1 more
TL;DR: The authors outline the range of reorganization of human representational cortex, encompassing reconstruction in concurrence with enhanced behaviorally relevant afferent activity; injury-related response dynamics as, for instance, driven by loss of input; and maladaptive reorganization pushed by the interaction between neuroplastic processes and aberrant environmental requirements.
Journal ArticleDOI
From maps to form to space: touch and the body schema.
Jared Medina,H. Branch Coslett +1 more
TL;DR: It is proposed that the traditional concept of the body schema should be divided into three components: primary somatosensory representations, which are representations of the skin surface that are typically somatotopically organized, and have been shown to change dynamically due to peripheral or central modifications.
References
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T Kujirai,Maria D. Caramia,John C. Rothwell,Brian L. Day,Pd Thompson,A Ferbert,S Wroe,P. Asselman,C. D. Marsden +8 more
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Increased Cortical Representation of the Fingers of the Left Hand in String Players
TL;DR: The results suggest that the representation of different parts of the body in the primary somatosensory cortex of humans depends on use and changes to conform to the current needs and experiences of the individual.
Journal ArticleDOI
Phantom-limb pain as a perceptual correlate of cortical reorganization following arm amputation
Herta Flor,Thomas Elbert,Stefan Knecht,Christian Wienbruch,Christo Pantev,Niels Birbaumer,Wolfgang Larbig,Edward Taub +7 more
TL;DR: A very strong direct relationship is reported between the amount of cortical reorganization and the magnitude of phantom limb pain (but not non-painful phantom phenomena) experienced after arm amputation, indicating that phantom-limb pain is related to, and may be a consequence of, plastic changes in primary somatosensory cortex.
Journal ArticleDOI
Treatment-Induced Cortical Reorganization After Stroke in Humans
TL;DR: This is the first demonstration in humans of a long-term alteration in brain function associated with a therapy-induced improvement in the rehabilitation of movement after neurological injury.
Journal ArticleDOI
Somatosensory cortical map changes following digit amputation in adult monkeys
Michael M. Merzenich,R. J. Nelson,Michael P. Stryker,Max S. Cynader,Axel Schoppmann,John M. Zook +5 more
TL;DR: The cortical representations of the hand in area 3b in adult owl monkeys were defined with use of microelectrode mapping techniques 2–8 months after surgical amputation of digit 3, or of both digits 2 and 3.