Maintained Activity of Contralateral SII in Patients with Thalamic Infarction Affecting the VPL

Cortical representations may change when somatosensory input is altered. Here, we investigated the functional consequences of partial central deafferentation of the somatosensory cortex due to a lesion of the ventroposteriolateral nucleus (VPL). We applied event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during electrical index finger stimulation of the affected and non-affected side in patients exhibiting contralesional sensory deficits. Six right-handed subjects (age 60–68 years) with non-acute (>60 days) solitary unilateral thalamic infarctions participated in the study. For localization of lesions,…