title: Network-level reorganisation of functional connectivity following arm amputation.
abstract: One of the most striking demonstrations of plasticity in the adult human brain follows peripheral injury, such as amputation. In the primary sensorimotor cortex, arm amputation results in massive local remapping of the missing hands' cortical territory. However, little is known about the consequences of sensorimotor deprivation on global brain organisation. Here, we used resting-state fMRI to identify large-scale reorganisation beyond the primary sensorimotor cortex in arm amputees, compared with two-handed controls. Specifically, we characterised changes in functional connectivity between the cortical territory of the missing hand in the primary sensorimotor cortex ('missing hand cortex') and two networks of interest: the sensorimotor network, which is typically strongly associated with the hand cortex, and the default mode network (DMN), which is normally dissociated from it. Functional connectivity values between the missing hand cortex and the sensorimotor network were reduced in amputees, and connectivity was weaker in individuals amputated for longer periods. Lower levels of functional coupling between the missing hand cortex and the sensorimotor network were also associated with emerged coupling of this cortex with the DMN. Our results demonstrate that plasticity following arm amputation is not restricted to local remapping occurring within the sensorimotor homunculus of the missing hand but rather produces a cascade of cortical reorganisation at a network-level scale. These findings may provide a new framework for understanding how local deprivation following amputation could elicit complex perceptual experiences of phantom sensations, such as phantom pain.
authors.affiliation: FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK. Electronic address: tamar.makin@ndcn.ox.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Tamar R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Makin
authors.affiliation: FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK; Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Filippini
authors.affiliation: FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK.
authors.forename: Eugene P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Duff
authors.affiliation: FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK; Oxford Centre for Enablement, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford OX3 7HE, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Henderson Slater
authors.affiliation: FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK; Nuffield Division of Anaesthetics, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tracey
authors.affiliation: FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK.
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Johansen-Berg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000671:Amputation, Surgical; D001132:Arm / Q000601:surgery*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D066191:Sensorimotor Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Deprivation; Motor; Neuroimaging; Plasticity; Resting state networks; Somatosensory