HUMAN CORTICAL PLASTICITY - FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY WITH MIRROR MOVEMENTS

Cortical plasticity of the human brain permits functional recovery aft er brain injury even in the absence of neuronal recovery. We report th e combined evaluation, including electrophysiology and functional magn etic resonance imaging, of the pattern of cortical and cerebellar reor ganization, in a patient with mirror movements as a sequel of perinata l unilateral brain injury. Recovery resulted in motor control by the h ealthy hemisphere using direct ipsilateral corticospinal projections a nd the contralateral cerebellum.