Reorganization of motor functions within visuomotor networks subsequent to somatosensory cortical damage

Somatosensory inputs are critical to motor control. Animal studies have shown that primary somatosensory lesions cause sensorimotor deficits along with disrupted organization in primary motor cortex (M1). How does damage in primary somatosensory cortex (S1) influence motor networks in humans? Using fMRI, we examined two individuals with extensive damage to left somatosensory cortex, but primarily intact motor cortex and preserved motor abilities. Given left S1 damage, tactile detection and localization were impaired for the contralesional hand in both individuals. When moving the contralesional hand, LS, with near complete damage to the S1 hand area, showed increased activation in ipsilesional putamen and deactivation in contralesional cerebellum relative to age-matched controls. These findings demonstrate influences of S1 damage to subcortical sensorimotor areas that are distant from the lesion site, and a potential reweighting of the motor network with increased action selection in putamen and inhibition of sensory prediction in cerebellum in the face of sensory loss. In contrast, RF, who had a small island of spared S1 in the hand area, showed greater activation in contralesional S1 for movement versus rest. This same region was also activated by pure somatosensory stimulation in a second experiment, suggesting that the spared S1 area in RF still subserves sensorimotor processing. Finally, the right middle occipital gyrus was more strongly activated in both individuals compared with controls, suggesting a potential reliance on visual imagery in the face of degraded sensory feedback.