Long-term plasticity in adult somatosensory cortex: functional reorganization after surgical removal of an arteriovenous malformation

The temporal scale of neuroplasticity following acute alterations in brain structure due to neurosurgical intervention is still under debate. We conducted a longitudinal study with the objective of investigating the postoperative changes in a patient who underwent cerebrovascular surgery and who subsequently lost proprioception in the fingers of her right hand. The results show increased activation in contralesional somatosensory areas, additional recruitment of premotor and posterior parietal areas, and changes in functional connectivity with left postcentral gyrus. These findings demonstrate long-term modifications of cortical organization and as such have important implications for treatment strategies for patients with brain injury.