Perceptual Correlates of Massive Cortical Reorganization - Essay Example

As the report explores summarizing the research of Dr, Ramachandran, Pone agrees that the above study has shown the area of reorganization in brain after Peripheral or central damage. And he also agrees on the sole responsibility of central mechanism for the phantom pain. Further he observes the dissociation effect of adjacent neuromass on the stimulation of cortical region, which is taken as advantage by Dr. Ramachandran. This essay stresses that though Tim.P.Pons agrees with the idea of Dr.

Ramachandran that sprouting of new inputs does not cause phantom pain, he is not agreeing the other cause referred as “unmasking of synapses”. As explained by Pons, as there is no direct representation map in cortex for Face and hand. By applauding the work of Dr. Ramachandran, as great contribution to the field of processing sensory inputs by reorganized cortex, the objection raised against ‘unmasking synapses’ made the mechanism of cortical reorganization to observe further. The studies reveal that a chemical signal, arising from the surface of the skin may be responsible for somatotrophic pattern formation in Somatic cortex.

Neurotrophins like NGF promote survival and differentiation of primary sensory neurons. Further the article explains about the structural similarity of Transforming Growth factor Beta-2 and Nerve Growth Factor. The extra cysteine, which forms an intersubunit disulfide in TGF-beta, is absent in NGF and will probably reflect the different arrangements.