Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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Reports summarize biology research from Ruhr University
2009 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to recent research from Bochum, Germany, "Use is a major factor driving plasticity of cortical processing and cortical maps. As demonstrated of blind Braille readers and musicians, long-lasting and exceptional usage of the fingers results in the development of outstanding sensorimotor skills and in expansions of the cortical finger representations." "However, how periods of disuse affect cortical representations and perception in humans remains elusive. Here, we report that a few weeks of hand and arm immobilization by cast wearing significantly reduced hand use and impaired tactile acuity, associated with reduced activation of the respective finger representations in the somatosensory cortex (SI), measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging. Hemodynamic responses in the SI correlated positively with hand-use frequency and negatively with discrimination thresholds, indicating that reduced activation was most prominent in subjects with severe perceptual impairment. We found, strikingly, compensatory effects on the contralateral, healthy hand consisting of improved perceptual performance compared to healthy controls. Two to three weeks after cast removal, perceptual and cortical changes recovered, whereas tactile acuity on the healthy side remained superior to that on the formerly immobilized side," wrote S. Lissek and colleagues, Ruhr University. The researchers concluded: "That brief periods of reduced use of a limb have overt consequences and thus constitute a significant driving force of brain organization equivalent to enhanced use." Lissek and colleagues published their study in Current Biology (Immobilization Impairs Tactile Perception and Shrinks Somatosensory Cortical Maps. Current Biology, 2009;19(10):837-842). For additional information, contact M. Tegenthoff, Ruhr University of Bochum, Dept. of Neurology, BG Kliniken Bergmannsheil, D-44780 Bochum, Germany. Publisher contact information for the journal Current Biology is: Cell Press, 600 Technology Square, 5TH Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. Keywords: Germany, Bochum, Life Sciences, Magnetic Resonance, Biology, Ruhr University. This article was prepared by Science Letter editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Science Letter via NewsRx.com.
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