title: Functional MRI to study brain plasticity in clinical neurology.
abstract: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is being widely used to study recovery of function in patients with several neurological conditions, including multiple sclerosis, stroke and Alzheimer's disease. The application of this MR technique has shown that plastic cortical changes do occur after central nervous system (CNS) injury of different aetiology, that such changes are related to the extent of CNS damage and that they can contribute in limiting the clinical consequences of brain damage. Conversely, the failure or exhaustion of the adaptive properties of the cerebral cortex might be among the factors responsible for the accumulation of 'fixed' neurological deficits. New studies aimed at investigating the effect of therapies devoted to promote brain plasticity are now warranted.
authors.affiliation: Neuroimaging Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Scientific Institute and University Ospedale San Raffaele, Via Olgettina 60, I-20132 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rocca
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Filippi
mesh_terms: D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology