Reorganisation of the sensorimotor cortex after early focal brain lesion: a functional MRI study in monozygotic twins

Sensorimotor cortical reorganization after early brain lesions was studied by means of fMRI in two pairs of monozygotic twins, in each of which one member had a focal brain injury. This offered a unique opportunity to reduce the wide intersubject variability of the controls often found in similar studies. Activation images were acquired during a motor task (sequential opposition finger movements) and a sensory task (passive brushing of palm and fingers). During the tasks with the recovered hand, constant findings in the lesioned subjects were the activation of the undamaged areas adjacent to lesion site and the activation of the ipsilateral sensorimotor cortex. Bilateral activation of the primary sensorimotor cortex was never observed in the healthy co-twin controls.