Lower limb amputees undergo long-distance plasticity in sensorimotor functional connectivity

Scientific Reports
Ivanei E BramatiFernanda Tovar-Moll

Abstract

Amputation in adults is associated with an extensive remapping of cortical topography in primary and secondary sensorimotor areas. Here, we used tactile residual limb stimulation and 3T functional magnetic resonance imaging in humans to investigate functional connectivity changes in the sensorimotor network of patients with long-term lower limb traumatic amputations with phantom sensation, but without pain. We found a pronounced reduction of inter-hemispheric functional connectivity between homologous sensorimotor cortical regions in amputees, including the primary (S1) and secondary (S2) somatosensory areas, and primary (M1) and secondary (M2) motor areas. We additionally observed an intra-hemispheric increased functional connectivity between primary and secondary somatosensory regions, and between the primary and premotor areas, contralateral to amputation. These functional connectivity changes in specialized small-scale sensory-motor networks improve our understanding of the functional impact of lower limb amputation in the brain. Our findings in a selective group of patients with phantom limb sensations, but without pain suggest that disinhibition of neural inputs following traumatic limb amputation disrupts sensorimotor to...Continue Reading

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Citations

Apr 27, 2020·European Journal of Pain : EJP·Hongcai LiuHerta Flor
Sep 15, 2020·Frontiers in Human Neuroscience·Riho NakajimaMitsutoshi Nakada
Oct 17, 2020·Journal of Pain Research·Elske SitsenMarieke Niesters
May 18, 2020·Clinical Neurophysiology : Official Journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology·Mark HallettPaolo M Rossini
Mar 3, 2021·Neurophysiologie clinique = Clinical neurophysiology·Paulo E P TeixeiraFelipe Fregni
Aug 10, 2021·Frontiers in Neurorobotics·Alison M KarczewskiSamuel O Poore
Aug 26, 2021·Journal of Neural Engineering·L C M BruurmijnN F Ramsey

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
imaging techniques
amputation

Key Resources (RRID) Mentioned

SCR_009446
SCR_007037
SCR_013273
SCR_009550
SCR_014586
SCR_005281

Software Mentioned

SPM Anatomy toolbox
Brain Extraction Tool ( BET
BrainNet Viewer
Connectivity Toolbox
SPM Anatomy

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