Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Author Spotlight: Studying Clinical Characters and Epilepsy Outcomes After Frontal Disconnection in Patients with MOGHE
06:04

Author Spotlight: Studying Clinical Characters and Epilepsy Outcomes After Frontal Disconnection in Patients with MOGHE

Published on: August 16, 2024

1.8K

Cortical Reorganization following Injury Early in Life

Moran Artzi1, Shelly Irene Shiran2, Maya Weinstein3

  • 1Functional Brain Center, The Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, 6 Weizmann Street, 64239 Tel Aviv, Israel; Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Neural Plasticity
|June 15, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Brain injury in children causes structural changes like reduced white matter and increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Reorganization in the unaffected hemisphere may compensate for deficits, but correlates with motor performance.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Pediatric Neurology

Background:

  • The brain's plasticity allows reorganization after injury, particularly in early life.
  • Limited understanding exists regarding structural brain reorganization and its effects following perinatal injuries.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate structural brain changes in children with hemiplegia compared to typically developing children.
  • To analyze differences in brain tissue volume, morphology, perfusion, and integrity.

Main Methods:

  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was employed to assess brain structure and function.
  • Comparative analysis between children with hemiplegia and a control group of typically developing children.

Main Results:

  • Children with hemiplegia showed reduced total cerebral volume, increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and decreased white matter volume.
  • Increased cortical thickness was observed in motor and language areas of the hemisphere contralateral to the lesion (CLH).
  • Reduced cortical thickness, perfusion, and surface area were noted in limbic areas; increased CSF and CLH cortical thickness correlated with poorer motor function.

Conclusions:

  • Brain reorganization, specifically gray matter changes in the CLH, is a response to early-life neuronal deficits after injury.
  • While CLH reorganization occurs, it doesn't guarantee improved outcomes and may correlate with motor deficits.

More Related Videos

Ex utero Electroporation and Whole Hemisphere Explants: A Simple Experimental Method for Studies of Early Cortical Development13:47

Ex utero Electroporation and Whole Hemisphere Explants: A Simple Experimental Method for Studies of Early Cortical Development

Published on: April 3, 2013

13.4K
Controlled Cortical Impact Model for Traumatic Brain Injury05:30

Controlled Cortical Impact Model for Traumatic Brain Injury

Published on: August 5, 2014

29.9K

Related Concept Videos

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:23

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at...
3.7K
Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory01:14

Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory

The cerebellum, while traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in memory, particularly in procedural memory, which involves learning motor tasks that become automatic through repetition. For example, studies have shown that when the cerebellum is damaged, individuals or animals lose the ability to learn conditioned motor responses, such as the conditioned eye-blink response in classical conditioning experiments with rabbits. This study demonstrates the...
1.4K
Association Areas of the Cortex01:21

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
10.3K
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex....
8.8K
Neurogenesis and Regeneration of Nervous Tissue01:15

Neurogenesis and Regeneration of Nervous Tissue

In the CNS, neurogenesis, the birth of new neurons from stem cells, is limited to the hippocampus in adults. In other regions of the brain and spinal cord, neurogenesis is almost non-existent due to inhibitory influences from neuroglia, especially oligodendrocytes, and the absence of growth-stimulating cues. The myelin produced by oligodendrocytes in the CNS inhibits neuronal regeneration. Furthermore, astrocytes proliferate rapidly after neuronal damage, forming scar tissue that physically...
2.0K
Neuroplasticity01:01

Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.
2.3K