A study by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and University College London has been described as a breakthrough in understanding the brain, showing that the brain map of an amputated limb persists for years, even after surgery.
The research, published in Nature Neuroscience, followed three patients before and after the amputation of an arm, using MRI scans conducted from months before surgery up to five years afterward. Results revealed that the area of the brain responsible for controlling the hand does not disappear or get taken over by other functions, as was long believed.
“For decades it was taught that after losing a limb, the brain reorganizes itself and other areas assume control of that space. What we observed is the opposite: the representation of the lost limb remains stable,” explained Chris Baker, researcher at the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.
The findings shed new light on “phantom limb syndrome,” a condition in which amputees feel pain or sensations in the missing limb. For scientists, this phenomenon is a sign that the brain preserves the memory of the lost limb.
The study also brings promise for the development of advanced prosthetics and brain-computer interface technologies. “Even after amputation, the brain seems to expect to reconnect in some way. This opens the door to restoring sensations like texture, shape, or temperature in the future,” said Hunter Schone, lead author of the research.
The results could lead to a reevaluation of traditional treatments for phantom pain, many of which were based on the assumption of brain reorganization after amputation.