Functional Cerebral MRI Evaluation of Integration of Breast Reconstruction into the Body Schema

The objective of breast reconstruction (BR) is to erase the after-effects of total mastectomy by allowing patients to restore their breast shape. The aim of our study was to investigate the body map integration of different types of BR using functional magnetic resonance (fMRI).

We prospectively enrolled all women undergoing BR for breast cancer to the Remasco study (NCT02553967). Participants were categorized into four groups according to the standard of care they required: immediate BR (IBR), delayed BR (DBR), flap (autologous), or implant BR. Each patient performed sensorimotor tasks during the fMRI acquisition.

Data of 38 patients were analyzed. We identified the cingulate region as the area of interest in the brain. In the case of DBR, the brain area activated during palpation of the total mastectomy scar (before BR) was different from the brain area activated during palpation of the reconstructed breast (Brodmann areas 31 versus 32). Palpation of the native breast and reconstructed breast activated the same Brodmann area 32. Comparing the brain activation signal during palpation of the native breast and the reconstructed breast did not reveal any significant difference in the overall population (P = 0.41) or in the groups: autologous (P = 0.32), implant (P = 0.10), IBR (P = 0.72), or DBR (P = 0.10).

This experimental study allowed us to describe and understand the brain plasticity processes that accompany BR. The results suggest that the reconstructed breast is integrated into the body schema, regardless of the type of BR or the timing.