Study Reveals Brain Retains Map of Amputated Limb, Challenging Long-Held Theories

In a groundbreaking study published in Nature Neuroscience, researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and University College London discovered that the brain’s control center for a missing limb can persist long after amputation. This finding challenges the long-standing belief that the brain rapidly reorganizes itself, or undergoes “cortical remapping,” after limb loss.

The team conducted rare MRI scans of three patients before scheduled arm amputations and followed them for up to five years afterward. Surprisingly, brain activity linked to finger movements remained largely unchanged, even when participants attempted to move their phantom fingers. Machine learning algorithms confirmed that the brain still encoded movements of the absent limb, and neighboring brain regions did not invade this space.

These insights could transform understanding of phantom limb syndrome and pave the way for improved treatments and advanced neuroprosthetics that leverage the brain’s enduring body map.

26-08-2025