Brain plasticity in patients with central tumours: functional MRI and intraoperative electrophysiological mapping

Abstract

Cortical representation of motor function anatomically is not static but shows a certain degree of plasticity. We wanted to detect the effect of a mass lesion in the central region on the motor hand area using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and intraoperative motor mapping. We examined six patients and eight volunteers. The paradigm for fMRI and mapping was the opening and closure of the fist. In all volunteers and two patients the motor hand area was spotlike, and it was broader in three patients. In comparison to the relatively small representation areas found in healthy volunteers, tumours that lie in the vicinity of the motor hand area can induce its anatomical enlargement and displacement, most probably reflecting the brain’s functional plasticity.