The ability to undergo lasting changes of neuronal response properties i.e. plasticity, is one of the most important aspects of functioning of the nervous system. The paper reviews the plastic changes of adult mammalian cerebral cortex. It describes compensatory plasticity induced by peripheral denervation and compensatory plasticity following central trauma. Neuronal mechanisms of cortical neuroplastic changes are presented and the common rules of all forms of cortical modifications are discussed. The paper stresses the therapeutic value of training in various sensory modalities for corrections of functional maladaptation of cortical maps and compensation of function after stroke.