title: Phantom pain is associated with preserved structure and function in the former hand area.
abstract: Phantom pain after arm amputation is widely believed to arise from maladaptive cortical reorganization, triggered by loss of sensory input. We instead propose that chronic phantom pain experience drives plasticity by maintaining local cortical representations and disrupting inter-regional connectivity. Here we show that, while loss of sensory input is generally characterized by structural and functional degeneration in the deprived sensorimotor cortex, the experience of persistent pain is associated with preserved structure and functional organization in the former hand area. Furthermore, consistent with the isolated nature of phantom experience, phantom pain is associated with reduced inter-regional functional connectivity in the primary sensorimotor cortex. We therefore propose that contrary to the maladaptive model, cortical plasticity associated with phantom pain is driven by powerful and long-lasting subjective sensory experience, such as triggered by nociceptive or top-down inputs. Our results prompt a revisiting of the link between phantom pain and brain organization.
authors: FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK. tamar.makin@ndcn.ox.ac.uk
authors: Tamar R
authors: TR
authors: Makin
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Scholz
authors: Nicola
authors: N
authors: Filippini
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Henderson Slater
authors: Irene
authors: I
authors: Tracey
authors: Heidi
authors: H
authors: Johansen-Berg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000674:Amputees; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000503:physiopathology; D006225:Hand / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000503:physiopathology; D010591:Phantom Limb / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012677:Sensation; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult