title: Somatotopic mismatch of hand representation following stroke: is recovery possible?
abstract: Well-organized somatotopic representation of the hand is required to interpret input from cutaneous mechanoreceptors. Previous reports have identified patients with various distortions of somatotopic representation after stroke. Importantly, those patients were investigated years after the stroke, indicating that afferent signal regained access to the cortical circuits; however, further plastic changes, which would re-establish somatotopic order and ability to correctly localize tactile stimuli, did not follow. Thus, it was not known whether somatotopic organization could be restored in such patients and whether there is a potential for new rehabilitation strategies. This is the first case report demonstrating normalization of somatotopic representation.
authors.affiliation: a School of Medical Sciences , UNSW Australia , Sydney , Australia.|b Neuroscience Research Australia , Sydney , Australia.|c School of Science and Health , University of Western Sydney , Sydney , Australia.
authors.forename: Ingvars
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Birznieks
authors.affiliation: d Department of Neurology , Riga Stradins university , Riga , Latvia.
authors.forename: Inara
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Logina
authors.affiliation: b Neuroscience Research Australia , Sydney , Australia.|e Clinic for Neurology and Pain Medicine , Christian-Aöbrechts University Kiel , Kiel , Germany.
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wasner
mesh_terms: D001931:Brain Mapping; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: hand; sensory; somatotopic organization; stroke; tactile