Abstract #1133

Cioni G, Tosetti M, Biagi L, Montanaro D, Bonanni P

Only one study has investigated the afferent projections to sensory cortex and has shown that the predominant afferent projection of the affected hand is directed to the contralateral hemisphere. These findings indicate that there could be an interhemispheric dissociation between afferent inputs and efferent corticomotor output. Moreover, it is not clear if there exists any correlation between type of reorganization and outcome of sensorimotor function, probably since this function was not evaluated with standardized criteria. Using clinical, somatosensory evoked potentials, transcranial magnetic stimulation and fMRI methods, we investigated cortical sensorimotor reorganization of affected hand in patients with hemiplegic cerebral palsy.