A potential brain-level adaptation associated with FES carryover is

• A. Cortical reorganization
• B. Increased skin fragility
• C. Decreased heart rate
• D. Increased appetite

Answer: (A)

Repeated, task-specific use of functional electrical stimulation drives neuroplastic changes in the motor system. The brain reorganizes its motor representations in response to the paired sensory feedback and muscle activation produced by FES, leading to cortical reorganization. This reorganization underlies carryover: improvements in voluntary movement can persist after the stimulation is removed because the brain has updated its control networks. The other options don’t reflect brain-level adaptation: increased skin fragility is a peripheral tissue issue, a decrease in heart rate relates to autonomic changes rather than cortical motor map shifts, and increased appetite is unrelated to motor learning or cortical reorganization.