Recovery of function after brain damage: the chronic consequence of large neocortical injuries

In the present experiment we addressed the common clinical finding that subsequent to recovery of function, there is often a lingering chronic dysfunction associated with extensive neocortical injury. We have confirmed this observation in the laboratory setting, and the data is compatible with the theoretical position that brain injury induces a shift in dominance of functional neural systems that normally control behavior. Although the present data do not suggest how this shift in dominance may be reversed, it does, nonetheless, demonstrate that the persistent chronic dysfunctions associated with neocortical injury may be effectively moderated within certain environmental situations.