title: Abnormal somatosensory homunculus in dystonia of the hand.
abstract: Abnormalities of the sensory system have been proposed as causative factors for dystonia By mapping the human cortical hand somatosensory area of 6 patients with focal dystonia of the hand, we found an abnormality of the normal homuncular organization of the finger representations in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1). Although a remote antecedent event or even a developmental anomaly cannot entirely be ruled out, our findings may support the concept that abnormal plasticity is involved in the development of dystonia.
authors.affiliation: Human Motor Control Section, Medical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1428, USA.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bara-Jimenez
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Catalan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hallett
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gerloff
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004421:Dystonia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005385:Fingers; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D012016:Reference Values; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*