A FINDING that hand transplants are eventually “accepted” by the brain is raising hopes that amputees may be able to recover full movement in their new limbs. Surprisingly, there are also hints that in right-handed people, the left hand is accepted sooner.
In the brain, particular areas of the motor cortex develop links to different parts of the body. If sensory input from a limb ceases as a result of amputation, the corresponding part of the brain initially goes unused. To stop prime real estate going to waste, the brain then starts to rewire itself – so that in a…
