Study Debunks Brain Reorganization After Amputation

Quick Summary

• New research challenges the long-held belief that our brain can reorganize itself following an amputation.
• The somatosensory cortex, responsible for processing sensory signals from the body, does not remap its neural connections after an arm is amputated.
• Researchers at the University of Cambridge used MRI scans too study brain activity in three participants before and after arm amputation over time (up to five years). No meaningful changes were observed in brain activity patterns.
• Validation of findings included training an AI model to recognize finger movements pre-amputation; post-amputation scans showed consistent neural responses when participants imagined moving missing fingers.
• Activity in amputees from 23 years ago was compared wiht recent cases, showing similar results that contradict prior assumptions about cortical “remapping.”
• implications for treating phantom limb pain-a condition causing perceived pain in an absent limb-might involve shifting focus away from visual cues or virtual reality-based approaches toward nerve grafting during surgical procedures to combat discomfort caused by nerve thickening.