Brain remaps wings as body parts after a week of VR flight
Twenty-five volunteers trained for a week in feathered VR wings and, after the training, fMRI showed the right occipitotemporal cortex began treating wing images more like limb images. The effect was partial and linked to active control rather than mere exposure, suggesting the body-part representation can flex to include novel, functional extensions—though this does not mean a new body part was created. Replication and broader studies are needed; implications exist for prosthetics and brain–computer interfaces.