Cortex Motor Function Reorganization in Stroke Patients: A Longitudinal fMRI Study

Detailed Summary

In China, stroke is among the highest morbidity and mortality, especially in senile population. Most of those patients had survived with various degrees of cerebral dysfunction; among them about 50% were motor deficit. Previous in vitro studies indicated that recovery of motor function after stroke were related not only to axonal regeneration or synapse reformation, but also functional reorganization of adjacent areas and other functional associated areas. The previous fMRI studies shown that the cerebral motor cortex possess the natural ability of self compensation and self reorganization in the situation of brain damage. It was characterized by equally bilateral activation in acute stage to partial ipsilateral activation and major contralateral activation in subacute stage to contralateral activation in chronic stage. We plan to recruit first-episode acute cerebral infarction patients with single lesion on middle cerebral artery supply area and age and sex matched healthy volunteers. All the patients are going to assess in three different sessions (V1, 3 days after the onset of complaint, V2,30 days after onset of complaint; V3, 90 days after onset of the complaint ) with both clinical check as well as fMRI scan. The clinical assessment including dynamometer and finger tapping test to evaluate the strength and the flexibility of each upper legs and it also included the corresponding scales to exclude poststroke dementia and moderate and serious poststroke depression. The fMRI is scanned by using bilateral arm motor tasks. Motor cortex activation regions, activation of voxel between healthy controls and patients in different checkpoint are collected. The purpose of this study is to investigate the dynamic process of motor cortical functional reorganization after cerebral stoke using functional magnetic resonance imaging combined with the behavior assessment. Meanwhile，we also studied the differences of motor function recovery and motor cortex compensation between dominant hemisphere and non-dominant hemisphere after stroke. Therefore, we could provide a theoretical basis and build up a useful evaluation system for rehabilitation after stroke and other arious cerebral injury.

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