Shaping the developing homunculus: the roles of deprivation and compensatory behaviour in sensory remapping

Shaping the developing homunculus: the roles of deprivation and compensatory behaviour in sensory remapping | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Shaping the developing homunculus: the roles of deprivation and compensatory behaviour in sensory remapping Raffaele Tucciarelli, Laura Bird, Zdenek Straka, Malgorzata Szymanska, and 7 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5752714/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 24 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Some of the most dramatic examples of neuroplasticity in the human brain follow congenital sensory deprivation, though we have limited understanding of the plasticity mechanisms driving such large-scale remapping. Hand loss due to congenital limb differences (CLD) offers a unique temporal dissociation of developmental neuroplasticity mechanisms: While sensory deprivation is congenital, compensatory motor behaviours develop progressively across childhood. Using paediatric neuroimaging and semi-ecological behavioural analysis in children (5-7 years old) and adults (>25 years old) with unilateral upper-limb CLD, we studied deprivation- and use-dependent plasticity in the deprived primary somatosensory cortex and beyond. We reveal that global remapping, encompassing the entire sensory homunculus, is established early and maintained in adulthood. We demonstrate that deprivation-driven homeostatic plasticity can drive this global remapping, with Hebbian-based compensatory learning further contributing to inter-individual differences both in childhood and adulthood. Our findings emphasise the early establishment and stability of cortical maps, despite extensive daily-life behavioural adaptation. Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Synaptic plasticity Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive neuroscience Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Motor control Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Development of the nervous system Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Sensorimotor processing Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Tucciarelli2024supplementary.pdf Supplemental materials BOLDkidstypicalSession.mp4 Typical behavioural session Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 24 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5752714","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":405625226,"identity":"f6c19888-e589-4ed3-9cc8-e5474b524677","order_by":0,"name":"Raffaele 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