Assessing recovery in middle cerebral artery stroke using functional MRI

作者：Nair DG^*; Fuchs A; Burkart S; Steinberg FL; Kelso JAS

来源：Brain Injury, 2005, 19(13): 1165-1176.

DOI：10.1080/02699050500149858

• stroke
• motor recovery
• fMRI
• finger-sequencing
• motor imagery

Primary objective: To understand the temporal evolution of brain reorganization during recovery from stroke.
Research design: A patient who suffered left middle cerebral artery stroke 9 months earlier was studied on three occasions, similar to 1 month apart.
Methods and procedures: Brain activation was studied using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging ( fMRI). During each session, the patient performed a finger-to-thumb opposition task, which involved one bimanual and two unimanual conditions. Each condition consisted of overt movement of fingers and imagery of the same task.
Results: With recovery, greater recruitment was observed of the affected primary motor cortex (M1) and a decrease in activation of the unaffected M1 and supplementary motor area. In addition, the widespread activation of brain areas seen during the initial session changed to a more focused pattern of activation as the patient recovered. Imagery tasks resulted in similar brain activity as overt execution pointing to imagery as a potential tool for rehabilitation.

• 出版日期2005-12