title: Enhanced tactile spatial acuity and cortical processing during acute hand deafferentation.
abstract: Acute deafferentation of a limb results in bilateral cortical reorganization, but the behavioral consequences of this phenomenon are unknown. Here we found rapid improvements in tactile spatial acuity and changes in cortical processing for the left hand during cutaneous anesthesia of the right hand. The site-specific improvement in tactile spatial acuity may represent a behavioral compensatory gain.
authors.affiliation: Human Cortical Physiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Konrad J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Werhahn
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mortensen
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Van Boven
authors.forename: Kirsten E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Zeuner
authors.forename: Leonardo G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D000772:Anesthesia, Local / Q000379:methods; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D006225:Hand / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009407:Nerve Block; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology*; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*