A man loses his right hand in a farm accident, four year later, he has episodes of severe pain in the missing hand (phantom limb pain). A detailed PET scan study of his cerebral cortex might be expected to show
When a body part is amputated, the somatosensory area that represents the neighbouring part of the amputated part spreads over to the somatosensory area that represents the amputated area- Cortical plasticity. This may describe the phenomenon of phantom limb. Since representation in somatosensory area is of contralateral side, cortical plasticity occurs in the opposite side of somatosensory area.
Expansion of the right hand area in his right somatic sensory area I
Expansion of the right hand area in his left somatic sensory area I
Projection of fibre from neighboring sensory areas into the right hand area of his right somatic sensory area I
Projection of fibers from neighbouring sensory areas into the right hand area of his left somatic sensory area I