Brain plasticity for sensory and linguistic functions: A functional imaging study using magnetoencephalography with children and young adults

In this report, the newest of the functional imaging methods, magnetoenceph alography, is described, and its use in addressing the issue of brain reorg anization for basic sensory and linguistic functions is documented in a ser ies of 10 children and young adults. These patients presented with a wide v ariety of conditions, ranging from tumors and focal epilepsy to reading dis ability. In all cases, clear evidence of reorganization of the brain mechan isms of either somatosensory or linguistic functions or both was obtained, demonstrating the utility of magnetoencephalography in studying, completely noninvasively, the issue of plasticity in the developing brain.