Foot artists have finely-tuned 'toe-maps' in their brains

Body parts are represented within the somatosensory cortex in a way that roughly follows their position on the body. — AFP Relaxnews

Artists who paint with their feet because they were born without arms have individualised areas of the brain assigned to each of their toes, a trait not found in handed people, scientists have reported.

Their paper, published in the journal Cell Reports on Sept 10, raises intriguing questions about brain plasticity early in life: Are humans born with so-called toe-maps that most lose as a result of not using their feet for intricate tasks because they wear shoes?