====== The Intelligent Hand & Plastic Brain ======

2007-03-14

  - Increased hand activity >> increased sensory flow
  - plasticity - unmasking of existing synapses
             - making new synapses
  - influence of enriched environment on learning & effects of training
  - Immobilization, amputation, anesthesia --> cortical competition
  - cutaneous forearm anesthesia --> increased digital sensation (JHSB 2004)
  - can more brain space be provided to allow hand surgery improvement
  - observation of hand activity activates premotor cortex --> "mirror neurons" -- important for learning
  - sensory area also activated by observing touch

Activate Hand cortical area - techniques