The somatosensory cortex has large regions devoted to input from the fingers (and hands) and the facial region. I'm sure many people are familiar with the homunculus and his large hands and big face. These sensory maps are moulded by experience- both prenatally and postnatally. It is known that the presence or absence of sensory input can have a significant effect on the organization of the cortex. Tactile stimulation helps to enhance neuronal networks, where as deprivation has the opposite effect. There is a substantial amount research on the plasticity of the somatosensory cortex, however, these studies are mainly from non-humans. For example, removal of the vibrissa in rat pups leads to changes in the neuronal organization rat barrel cortex. The vibrissa in rodents are somewhat analogous to fingers in humans. The timing of somatosensory development is not identical between rodents and humans, although it is likely that tactile experience postnatally is important for the normal development of the somatosensory cortex in both species. However, removing the vibrassa is not analogous to covering the hands. A baby whose hands are covered will still be receiving some sensory input through their finger tips and it is unlikely that their hands will be covered 100% of the time. Also, the somatosensory cortex retains a certain amount of plasticity throughout childhood and into adulthood- so there is still lots of opportunity for tactile experience to have an effect on cortical organization as baby gets older. The door doesn't close a few days or weeks after birth. However, a baby whose hands are uncovered has an opportunity for a richer assortment of tactile experiences and perhaps this could have an impact on brain development. I don't know if there are any published studies examining the effects of hand covering on human brain development in the early postnatal period. Suzanne Nurse, PhD LLL Leader, Ontario Canada *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET email list is powered by LISTSERV (R). There is only one LISTSERV. To learn more, visit: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html