In a study by Pons and colleagues, monkeys' arm nerves were cut, thereby depriving the somatosensory cortex of sensory input from the arm. Several years later, when the researchers mapped the monkeys' somatosensory homunculus, they discovered that the arm region of the homunculus:
A)had expanded.
B)was the same size it was previously.
C)had been taken over by the face region.
D)had been taken over by the foot region.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The study by Pons and colleagues demonstrated cortical plasticity, where the area of the somatosensory cortex that previously received input from the arm was taken over by the face region after the arm nerves were cut.

In a Study by Pons and Colleagues, Monkeys' Arm Nerves