Cutting a nerve of the hand alters the organisation of digit maps in primary somatosensory cortex


Weber, Martin, Marshall, Andrew ORCID: 0000-0001-8273-7089, Timircan, Ronan, McGlone, Francis, Tucciarelli, Raffaele, Onyekwelu, Obi, Booth, Louise, Francis, Susan, Asghar, Michael, Jesudason, Edwin et al (show 2 more authors) (2024) Cutting a nerve of the hand alters the organisation of digit maps in primary somatosensory cortex [Preprint]

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Abstract

Abstract In non-human primates, forelimb nerve transection and repair alters the otherwise orderly and highly conserved organisation of the digit maps in primary somatosensory cortex (S1). These same reorganisational changes are presumed to occur in humans and to have meaningful implications for patient recovery. Using fMRI, we map digit responses in 21 patients with surgically repaired hand nerves and 30 controls. In S1 contralateral to the repaired hand, digit map arrangement is systematically altered, and response amplitudes are elevated. At the individual level, map organisation is more variable and less typical of controls, a pattern that, unexpectedly, is also evident in S1 of the uninjured hand. Our results show that hand nerve repair alters S1 organisation in humans, consistent with animal models. The functional relevance of these changes remains uncertain. We find no credible links between altered S1 maps and functional impairments.

Item Type: Preprint
Uncontrolled Keywords: 32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, 3202 Clinical Sciences, Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, 2.1 Biological and endogenous factors, Neurological
Divisions: Faculty of Health & Life Sciences
Faculty of Health & Life Sciences > Inst. Life Courses & Medical Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 02 Dec 2024 08:21
Last Modified: 23 May 2026 09:34
DOI: 10.1101/2024.11.26.24316490
Open Access URL: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.11.26.24316490
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URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3188976
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