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Enhanced left-finger deftness following dominant upper- and lower-limb amputation

Swanberg, Kelley M LU orcid ; Clark, Abigail M ; Kline, Julia E ; Yurkiewicz, Ilana R ; Chan, Brenda L ; Pasquina, Paul F ; Heilman, Kenneth M and Tsao, Jack W (2011) In Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair 25(7). p.4-680
Abstract

BACKGROUND: After amputation, the sensorimotor cortex reorganizes, and these alterations might influence motor functions of the remaining extremities.

OBJECTIVE: The authors examined how amputation of the dominant or nondominant upper or lower extremity alters deftness in the intact limbs.

METHODS: The participants were 32 unilateral upper- or lower-extremity amputees and 6 controls. Upper-extremity deftness was tested by coin rotation (finger deftness) and pegboard (arm, hand, and finger deftness) tasks.

RESULTS: Following right-upper- or right-lower-extremity amputation, the left hand's finger movements were defter than the left-hand fingers of controls. In contrast, with left-upper- or left-lower-extremity... (More)

BACKGROUND: After amputation, the sensorimotor cortex reorganizes, and these alterations might influence motor functions of the remaining extremities.

OBJECTIVE: The authors examined how amputation of the dominant or nondominant upper or lower extremity alters deftness in the intact limbs.

METHODS: The participants were 32 unilateral upper- or lower-extremity amputees and 6 controls. Upper-extremity deftness was tested by coin rotation (finger deftness) and pegboard (arm, hand, and finger deftness) tasks.

RESULTS: Following right-upper- or right-lower-extremity amputation, the left hand's finger movements were defter than the left-hand fingers of controls. In contrast, with left-upper- or left-lower-extremity amputation, the right hand's finger performance was the same as that of the controls.

CONCLUSIONS: Although this improvement might be related to increased use (practice), the finding that right-lower-extremity amputation also improved the left hand's finger deftness suggests an alternative mechanism. Perhaps in right-handed persons the left motor cortex inhibits the right side of the body more than the right motor cortex inhibits the left side, and the physiological changes induced by right-sided amputation reduced this inhibition.

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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
keywords
Adult, Amputation, Surgical, Analysis of Variance, Fingers/physiology, Functional Laterality/physiology, Hand/physiology, Humans, Lower Extremity/physiology, Male, Motor Skills/physiology, Somatosensory Cortex/physiology, Upper Extremity/physiology
in
Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair
volume
25
issue
7
pages
4 - 680
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • pmid:21478497
  • scopus:80051520892
ISSN
1552-6844
DOI
10.1177/1545968311404242
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
4ee1fa11-e0b2-45d7-a21f-5ec517c339e6
date added to LUP
2023-09-18 15:04:26
date last changed
2025-10-14 11:43:43
@article{4ee1fa11-e0b2-45d7-a21f-5ec517c339e6,
  abstract     = {{<p>BACKGROUND: After amputation, the sensorimotor cortex reorganizes, and these alterations might influence motor functions of the remaining extremities.</p><p>OBJECTIVE: The authors examined how amputation of the dominant or nondominant upper or lower extremity alters deftness in the intact limbs.</p><p>METHODS: The participants were 32 unilateral upper- or lower-extremity amputees and 6 controls. Upper-extremity deftness was tested by coin rotation (finger deftness) and pegboard (arm, hand, and finger deftness) tasks.</p><p>RESULTS: Following right-upper- or right-lower-extremity amputation, the left hand's finger movements were defter than the left-hand fingers of controls. In contrast, with left-upper- or left-lower-extremity amputation, the right hand's finger performance was the same as that of the controls.</p><p>CONCLUSIONS: Although this improvement might be related to increased use (practice), the finding that right-lower-extremity amputation also improved the left hand's finger deftness suggests an alternative mechanism. Perhaps in right-handed persons the left motor cortex inhibits the right side of the body more than the right motor cortex inhibits the left side, and the physiological changes induced by right-sided amputation reduced this inhibition.</p>}},
  author       = {{Swanberg, Kelley M and Clark, Abigail M and Kline, Julia E and Yurkiewicz, Ilana R and Chan, Brenda L and Pasquina, Paul F and Heilman, Kenneth M and Tsao, Jack W}},
  issn         = {{1552-6844}},
  keywords     = {{Adult; Amputation, Surgical; Analysis of Variance; Fingers/physiology; Functional Laterality/physiology; Hand/physiology; Humans; Lower Extremity/physiology; Male; Motor Skills/physiology; Somatosensory Cortex/physiology; Upper Extremity/physiology}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{7}},
  pages        = {{4--680}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair}},
  title        = {{Enhanced left-finger deftness following dominant upper- and lower-limb amputation}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1545968311404242}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/1545968311404242}},
  volume       = {{25}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}