The contribution of functional neuroimaging to recovery after brain damage: A review

The introduction of functional neuroimaging techniques has contributed to u nderstanding the neural correlates of recovery of motor, sensory and cognit ive functions after brain damage. In this paper, we review the literature o f the past twenty years, with particular emphasis on quantitative studies o f cerebral blood flow and metabolism. Studies are presented that examine re covery from hemiparesis, aphasia, spatial hemineglect and sensory disorders . The contribution of this research is critically discussed in a methodolog ical perspective. A basic distinction is made between cerebral plasticity a nd recovery of functions. It is also argued that the most frequently used e xperimental designs do not permit directly relating changes in brain activi ty to functional recovery. The importance of accurate behavioural measures is underlined. Alternative experimental designs are proposed, based on corr elations between behavioural performance and brain activations.