Cortical organization in adulthood is modified by neonatal infarct: a case study

Abstract

Purpose: To assess anomalous cortical organization of somatosensory function in a 23-year-old man who had had a neonatal infarct involving the left middle cerebral artery.

Materials and methods: The infarct destroyed the primary and secondary somatosensory areas of the subject's left hemisphere but caused only mild perturbation of somatosensation on the right side of his body. With magnetic source imaging, the authors integrated magnetoencephalographic data with magnetic resonance imaging data to create magnetic source localization images that showed the mapping between brain function and structure.

Results: Electrical stimulation of the right median nerve evoked activity in two nontraditional areas: (a) an intact region of the left inferior temporal gyrus and (b) the ipsilateral right medial parietal cortex.

Conclusion: These data suggest that bilateral neural reorganization can be induced by unilateral neonatal damage.