Short-term brain ‘plasticity’ in humans: transient finger representation changes in sensory cortex somatotopy following ischemic anesthesia

Rossini, Paolo Maria; Martino, Gianvito; Narici, L.; Pasquarelli, A; Peresson, M.; Pizzella, Vittorio; Tecchio, Franca; Torrioli, G.; Romani, Gian Luca

doi:10.1016/0006-8993(94)90919-9

Cited by 189 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…This result is in line with previous findings in healthy subjects (Rossini et al, 1994;Björkman et al, 2004b). These changes might be explained by unmasking of existing silent connections based on a decrease of intracortical inhibition between adjacent cortical representations (Rossini et al, 1994;Liepert et al, 2004;Weiss et al, 2004;Floel et al, 2008), probably mediated through regulation of GABAergic transmission (Levy et al, 2002;Werhahn et al, 2002a).…”

Section: Effectiveness Of Temporary Functional Deafferentationsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…For example, TFD of the right hand by tourniquetinduced anesthesia resulted in a rapid improvement of the grip strength, tactile discrimination, and sensibility of the left hand and increased the neural activity in the right primary motor cortex (Björkman et al, 2004b). Rossini et al (1994) additionally demonstrated an increase in neural dipole source activity and deepening of the cortical representation of the middle finger during ischemic anesthesia of the neighboring fingers, explained by unmasking of existing pathways in primary somatosensory cortex (SI). Furthermore, pharmacologically induced TFD of radial and median nerves resulted in significant improvements in sensory discrimination around the ipsilateral lip.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Temporary Functional Deafferentation on the Brain, Sensation, and Behavior of Stroke Patients

et al. 2012

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Following stroke, many patients suffer from chronic motor impairment and reduced somatosensation in the stroke-affected body parts. Recent experimental studies suggest that temporary functional deafferentation (TFD) of parts of the stroke-affected upper limb or of the less-affected contralateral limb might improve the sensorimotor capacity of the stroke-affected hand. The present study sought evidence of cortical reorganization and related sensory and motor improvements following pharmacologically induced TFD of the stroke-affected forearm.Examination was performed during 2 d of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy. Thirty-six human patients were deafferented on the stroke-affected forearm by an anesthetic cream (containing lidocaine and prilocaine) on one of the 2 d, and a placebo cream was applied on the other. The order of TFD and placebo treatment was counterbalanced across patients. Somatosensory and motor performance were assessed using a Grating orienting task and a Shape-sorter-drum task, and with somatosensory-evoked magnetic fields. Evoked magnetic fields showed significant pre-to postevaluation magnitude increases in response to tactile stimulation of the thumb of the stroke-affected hand during TFD but not following placebo treatment. We also observed a rapid extension of the distance between cortical representations of the stroke-affected thumb and little finger following TFD but not following placebo treatment. Moreover, somatosensory and motor performance of the stroke-affected hand was significantly enhanced during TFD but not during placebo treatment. Thus, pharmacologically induced TFD of a stroke-affected forearm might improve the somatosensory and motor functions of the stroke-affected upper limb, accompanied by cortical plasticity.

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Section: Effectiveness Of Temporary Functional Deafferentationsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Temporary Functional Deafferentation on the Brain, Sensation, and Behavior of Stroke Patients

et al. 2012

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“…Initially, unmasking of normally inhibited connections may occur within minutes of the initial injury (Calford and Tweedale, 1988;Garraghty et al, 1991;Rossini et al, 1994) and result in small shifts in cortical organization (Ͻ2-3 mm).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pain and Plasticity: Is Chronic Pain Always Associated with Somatosensory Cortex Activity and Reorganization?

et al. 2012

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The somatosensory cortex remodels in response to sensory deprivation, with regions deprived of input invaded by neighboring representations. The degree of cortical reorganization is correlated with ongoing pain intensity, which has led to the assumption that chronic pain conditions are invariably associated with somatosensory cortex reorganization. Because the presentation and etiology of chronic pain vary, we determined whether cortical changes in human subjects are similar for differing pain types. Using functional and anatomical magnetic resonance imaging, we found that, while human patients with neuropathic pain displayed cortical reorganization and changes in somatosensory cortex activity, patients with non-neuropathic chronic pain did not. Furthermore, cortical reorganization in neuropathic pain patients was associated with changes in regional anatomy. These data, by showing that pain per se is not associated with cortical plasticity, suggest that treatments aimed at reversing cortical reorganization should only be considered for use in patients with certain types of chronic pain.

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“…Calford and Tweedale (1988) described rapid SI changes (within a single day) following single digit amputation in flying foxes, and in humans, cortical reorganization can occur within hours following brief limb or digit anesthesia (Rossini et al, 1994;Björkman et al, 2009). This relatively rapid reorganization likely results from disinhibition or facilitation of existing subthreshold inputs onto neighboring cortical representations.…”

Section: Latent Lateral Synapsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional Reorganization of the Brain in Humans Following Spinal Cord Injury: Evidence for Underlying Changes in Cortical Anatomy

Henderson

Gustin²,

Macey³

et al. 2011

J. Neurosci.

167

155

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Loss of somatosensory drive results in functional reorganization of the primary somatosensory cortex (SI). While the phenomenon of functional cortical reorganization is well established, it remains unknown whether in humans, functional reorganization results from changes in brain anatomy, or simply reflects an unmasking of already existing dormant synapses. In 20 subjects with complete thoracic spinal cord injuries (SCIs) and 23 controls, we used functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging to determine whether SI reorganization was associated with changes in SI anatomy. SCI resulted in a significant SI reorganization, with the little finger representation moving medially toward the lower body representation (i.e., area of sensory loss). Furthermore, although SCI was associated with gray matter volume loss in the lower body representation, this loss was minimized as reorganization increased. That is, the greater the medial shift in little finger representation, the greater the gray matter preservation in the lower body representation. In addition, in the region of greatest SI reorganization (little finger), fractional anisotropy was correlated with SI reorganization. That is, as SI reorganization increased, the extent of aligned structures decreased. Finally, although thalamocortical fibers remained unchanged, the ease and direction of water movement within the little finger representation was altered, being directed more toward the midline in SCI subjects. These data show that SI reorganization following SCI is associated with changes in SI anatomy and provide compelling evidence that SI reorganization in humans results from the growth of new lateral connections, and not simply from the unmasking of already existing lateral connections.

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Short-term brain ‘plasticity’ in humans: transient finger representation changes in sensory cortex somatotopy following ischemic anesthesia

Cited by 189 publications

References 22 publications

Effects of Temporary Functional Deafferentation on the Brain, Sensation, and Behavior of Stroke Patients

Effects of Temporary Functional Deafferentation on the Brain, Sensation, and Behavior of Stroke Patients

Pain and Plasticity: Is Chronic Pain Always Associated with Somatosensory Cortex Activity and Reorganization?

Functional Reorganization of the Brain in Humans Following Spinal Cord Injury: Evidence for Underlying Changes in Cortical Anatomy

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