NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Study Says Brain Can Change Functions

Research on monkeys has shown that the brain compensates for injury by reorganizing itself, researchers said in a report in the journal Science. Twelve years ago, the arm nerves of four monkeys were severed, cutting off sensory input to a part of the cortex. It was thought that that part of the brain would lie dormant, but it was discovered that it “rewired” itself to receive signals from the face. This shows, a federal researcher in Washington said, that it may be possible to induce healthy parts of the brain to take over functions previously performed by damaged areas. The macaque monkeys used were seized from a research lab in Silver Spring, Md., in 1981 after animal rights activists charged that they were being mistreated.