The Plasticity of Brain Gray Matter and White Matter following Lower Limb Amputation
Accumulating evidence has indicated that amputation induces functional reorganization in the sensory and motor cortices. However, the extent of structural changes after lower limb amputation in patients without phantom pain remains uncertain. We studied 17 adult patients with right lower limb amputa...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2015-01-01
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| Series: | Neural Plasticity |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/823185 |
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| author | Guangyao Jiang Xuntao Yin Chuanming Li Lei Li Lu Zhao Alan C. Evans Tianzi Jiang Jixiang Wu Jian Wang |
| author_facet | Guangyao Jiang Xuntao Yin Chuanming Li Lei Li Lu Zhao Alan C. Evans Tianzi Jiang Jixiang Wu Jian Wang |
| author_sort | Guangyao Jiang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Accumulating evidence has indicated that amputation induces functional reorganization in the sensory and motor cortices. However, the extent of structural changes after lower limb amputation in patients without phantom pain remains uncertain. We studied 17 adult patients with right lower limb amputation and 18 healthy control subjects using T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging. Cortical thickness and fractional anisotropy (FA) of white matter (WM) were investigated. In amputees, a thinning trend was seen in the left premotor cortex (PMC). Smaller clusters were also noted in the visual-to-motor regions. In addition, the amputees also exhibited a decreased FA in the right superior corona radiata and WM regions underlying the right temporal lobe and left PMC. Fiber tractography from these WM regions showed microstructural changes in the commissural fibers connecting the bilateral premotor cortices, compatible with the hypothesis that amputation can lead to a change in interhemispheric interactions. Finally, the lower limb amputees also displayed significant FA reduction in the right inferior frontooccipital fasciculus, which is negatively correlated with the time since amputation. In conclusion, our findings indicate that the amputation of lower limb could induce changes in the cortical representation of the missing limb and the underlying WM connections. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-07a33314e4684ac2aace0d3c8d0d5478 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-5904 1687-5443 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Neural Plasticity |
| spelling | doaj-art-07a33314e4684ac2aace0d3c8d0d54782025-02-03T01:31:45ZengWileyNeural Plasticity2090-59041687-54432015-01-01201510.1155/2015/823185823185The Plasticity of Brain Gray Matter and White Matter following Lower Limb AmputationGuangyao Jiang0Xuntao Yin1Chuanming Li2Lei Li3Lu Zhao4Alan C. Evans5Tianzi Jiang6Jixiang Wu7Jian Wang8Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, ChinaDepartment of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, ChinaDepartment of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, ChinaDepartment of Rehabilitation, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, ChinaMcConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, CanadaMcConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, CanadaNational Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, ChinaDepartment of Rehabilitation, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, ChinaDepartment of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, ChinaAccumulating evidence has indicated that amputation induces functional reorganization in the sensory and motor cortices. However, the extent of structural changes after lower limb amputation in patients without phantom pain remains uncertain. We studied 17 adult patients with right lower limb amputation and 18 healthy control subjects using T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging. Cortical thickness and fractional anisotropy (FA) of white matter (WM) were investigated. In amputees, a thinning trend was seen in the left premotor cortex (PMC). Smaller clusters were also noted in the visual-to-motor regions. In addition, the amputees also exhibited a decreased FA in the right superior corona radiata and WM regions underlying the right temporal lobe and left PMC. Fiber tractography from these WM regions showed microstructural changes in the commissural fibers connecting the bilateral premotor cortices, compatible with the hypothesis that amputation can lead to a change in interhemispheric interactions. Finally, the lower limb amputees also displayed significant FA reduction in the right inferior frontooccipital fasciculus, which is negatively correlated with the time since amputation. In conclusion, our findings indicate that the amputation of lower limb could induce changes in the cortical representation of the missing limb and the underlying WM connections.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/823185 |
| spellingShingle | Guangyao Jiang Xuntao Yin Chuanming Li Lei Li Lu Zhao Alan C. Evans Tianzi Jiang Jixiang Wu Jian Wang The Plasticity of Brain Gray Matter and White Matter following Lower Limb Amputation Neural Plasticity |
| title | The Plasticity of Brain Gray Matter and White Matter following Lower Limb Amputation |
| title_full | The Plasticity of Brain Gray Matter and White Matter following Lower Limb Amputation |
| title_fullStr | The Plasticity of Brain Gray Matter and White Matter following Lower Limb Amputation |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Plasticity of Brain Gray Matter and White Matter following Lower Limb Amputation |
| title_short | The Plasticity of Brain Gray Matter and White Matter following Lower Limb Amputation |
| title_sort | plasticity of brain gray matter and white matter following lower limb amputation |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/823185 |
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