A plaster on an arm can change the structure of the brain
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The ability of the brain to adapt to circumstances continues to surprise scientists. They have now seen that go escayolados or using a harness with an arm injury can make the brain to change rapidly to adapt.A study of the University of Zurich has observed an increase in the size of the areas of the brain that compensate the injured side, and a decrease in areas that were not being used because the cast and Sling. “These results are especially interesting for the development of rehabilitation therapies for people who have had a stroke, or other problems,” explains the director of the study, Nicolas Langer, whose work published Neurology.
Skills transfer
The researchers examined 10 right-handed people with injury in the part superior right arm ?que required a Sling for at least 14 días? the arm and the rights hand made almost no movement during the study period. As a result, participants used his non-dominant hand, left, to perform daily tasks, such as washing, using a toothbrush, eat or write.The Group of participants then underwent two magnetic resonance imaging of the brain (at the beginning of the lesion and 16 days later). Scanners measured the amount of gray and white matter in the brain; and motor skills of the participants, including the movements of the hand of the arm, and the speed of the wrist and fingers were also measured.The results of the study indicated that the amount of gray and white matter in the left side of the brain decreased up to 10%, while the amount of gray and white matter in the right side of the brain increased in size. These changes are associated with the transfer of powers from the right hand to the left.These results also support the guidelines indicate that an arm or leg, after surgery, must be immobilized during the less possible time, whenever and wherever necessary.
