title: Motor and sensory cortical reorganization after bilateral forearm transplantation: Four-year follow-up fMRI case study.
abstract: The objective of this study was to characterize the cortical activity pattern of one patient who received bilateral forearm transplants. Using fMRI we acquired motor and sensory brain activity every year after surgery and during three consecutive years while the patient underwent physical rehabilitation. The motor related cortical activity evaluated during the first year showed a sparse pattern involving several brain regions. Over time, the analysis showed a progressive delimitation of the motor-related areas that had significant activity. The results also showed continuous size reductions of the activated cluster in the motor cortex. The activation in the sensory cortex showed significant increases in cluster size over time. The intensity of both motor and sensory cortical activations correlated with the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire. Our results show significant cortical reorganization of motor and sensory cortices after transplantation of bilateral forearm transplantation over a four-year period.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Neuroetologia, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Catedras, Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico. Electronic address: crhernandezca@conacyt.mx.
authors.forename: Carlos R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Hernandez-Castillo
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía "Manuel Velasco Suarez", Mexico.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aguilar-Castañeda
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición "Salvador Zubirán", Mexico.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iglesias
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Fisiología, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Ruiz
mesh_terms: D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005542:Forearm; D005543:Forearm Injuries / Q000601:surgery; D006230:Hand Injuries / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology; D009068:Movement; D016377:Organ Transplantation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Cortical reorganization; Motor cortex; Somatosensory; Transplantation