scholarly journals Acupuncture Enhances Effective Connectivity between Cerebellum and Primary Sensorimotor Cortex in Patients with Stable Recovery Stroke

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zijing Xie ◽  
Fangyuan Cui ◽  
Yihuai Zou ◽  
Lijun Bai
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Sensorimotor Cortex ◽  
Effective Connectivity ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Movement Coordination ◽  
Subacute Stroke ◽  
Primary Sensorimotor Cortex ◽  
Recovery Stroke ◽  
Hemiparetic Stroke

Recent neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that stimulation of acupuncture at motor-implicated acupoints modulates activities of brain areas relevant to the processing of motor functions. This study aims to investigate acupuncture-induced changes in effective connectivity among motor areas in hemiparetic stroke patients by using the multivariate Granger causal analysis. A total of 9 stable recovery stroke patients and 8 healthy controls were recruited and underwent three runs of fMRI scan: passive finger movements and resting state before and after manual acupuncture stimuli. Stroke patients showed significantly attenuated effective connectivity between cortical and subcortical areas during passive motor task, which indicates inefficient information transmissions between cortical and subcortical motor-related regions. Acupuncture at motor-implicated acupoints showed specific modulations of motor-related network in stroke patients relative to healthy control subjects. This specific modulation enhanced bidirectionally effective connectivity between the cerebellum and primary sensorimotor cortex in stroke patients, which may compensate for the attenuated effective connectivity between cortical and subcortical areas during passive motor task and, consequently, contribute to improvement of movement coordination and motor learning in subacute stroke patients. Our results suggested that further efficacy studies of acupuncture in motor recovery can focus on the improvement of movement coordination and motor learning during motor rehabilitation.

scholarly journals Sensorimotor cortex beta oscillations reflect motor skill learning ability after stroke

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Svenja Espenhahn ◽  
Holly E Rossiter ◽  
Bernadette C M van Wijk ◽  
Nell Redman ◽  
Jane M Rondina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Sensorimotor Cortex ◽  
Motor Skill ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Skill Learning ◽  
Motor Skill Learning ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Beta Oscillations ◽  
And Performance

Abstract Recovery of skilled movement after stroke is assumed to depend on motor learning. However, the capacity for motor learning and factors that influence motor learning after stroke have received little attention. In this study, we first compared motor skill acquisition and retention between well-recovered stroke patients and age- and performance-matched healthy controls. We then tested whether beta oscillations (15–30 Hz) from sensorimotor cortices contribute to predicting training-related motor performance. Eighteen well-recovered chronic stroke survivors (mean age 64 ± 8 years, range: 50–74 years) and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were trained on a continuous tracking task and subsequently retested after initial training (45–60 min and 24 h later). Scalp electroencephalography was recorded during the performance of a simple motor task before each training and retest session. Stroke patients demonstrated capacity for motor skill learning, but it was diminished compared to age- and performance-matched healthy controls. Furthermore, although the properties of beta oscillations prior to training were comparable between stroke patients and healthy controls, stroke patients did show less change in beta measures with motor learning. Lastly, although beta oscillations did not help to predict motor performance immediately after training, contralateral (ipsilesional) sensorimotor cortex post-movement beta rebound measured after training helped predict future motor performance, 24 h after training. This finding suggests that neurophysiological measures such as beta oscillations can help predict response to motor training in chronic stroke patients and may offer novel targets for therapeutic interventions.

scholarly journals Intervention-Induced Changes in Cortical Connectivity and Activity in Severe Chronic Hemiparetic Stroke

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin B. Wilkins ◽  
Julius P.A. Dewald ◽  
Jun Yao
Keyword(s):  
Sensorimotor Cortex ◽  
Hand Function ◽  
Cortical Activity ◽  
Chronic Stroke ◽  
Movement Preparation ◽  
Movement Execution ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Primary Sensorimotor Cortex ◽  
Hemiparetic Stroke ◽  
Hand Opening

AbstractObjectiveEffective interventions have demonstrated the ability to improve motor function by reengaging ipsilesional resources, which has been shown to be critical and feasible for hand function recovery even in individuals with severe chronic stroke. However, the question remains how these focal activity changes (i.e., changes in activity within motor regions) relate to altered cortico-cortico interactions within/across multiple regions.MethodsEight individuals with severe chronic stroke participated in a device-assisted intervention. Pre- and post-intervention, we collected EEG while performing hand opening with/without lifting the paretic arm. We quantified changes in focal cortical activity at movement execution and connectivity during movement preparation.ResultsPost-intervention, individuals displayed a reduction in coupling from ipsilesional M1 to contralesional M1 within gamma frequencies during movement preparation for hand opening. This was followed by a reduction in activity in contralesional primary sensorimotor cortex during movement execution. Meanwhile, during lifting and opening, a more inhibitory coupling within ipsilesional M1 from gamma to beta frequencies was accompanied by an increase in ipsilesional primary sensorimotor cortex activity.ConclusionsChanges in coupling within or between motor regions during movement preparation complement topographical activity changes at movement execution.SignificanceOur results suggest that changes in cortico-cortico interactions may lead to corresponding changes in focal cortical activity.

Rapid Modulation of GABA Concentration in Human Sensorimotor Cortex During Motor Learning

2006 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 1639-1644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Floyer-Lea ◽  
Marzena Wylezinska ◽  
Tamas Kincses ◽  
Paul M. Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Sensorimotor Cortex ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Resonance Spectroscopy ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Gaba Concentration ◽  
Primary Sensorimotor Cortex

Movement representations within the human primary motor and somatosensory cortices can be altered by motor learning. Decreases in local GABA concentration and its release may facilitate this plasticity. Here we use in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to noninvasively measure serial changes in GABA concentration in humans in a brain region including the primary sensorimotor cortex contralateral to the hand used for an isometric motor sequence learning task. Thirty minutes of motor sequence learning reduced the mean GABA concentration within a 2 × 2 × 2-cm3 voxel by almost 20%. This reduction was specific to motor learning: 30 min of similar, movements with an unlearnable, nonrepetitive sequence were not associated with changes in GABA concentration. No significant changes in GABA concentration were found in the primary sensorimotor cortex ipsilateral to the hand used for learning. These changes suggest remarkably rapid, regionally specific short-term presynaptic modulation of GABAergic input that should facilitate motor learning. Although apparently confined to the contralateral hemisphere, the magnitude of changes seen within a large spectroscopic voxel suggests that these changes occur over a wide local neocortical field.

scholarly journals Cerebral Reorganization in Subacute Stroke Survivors after Virtual Reality-Based Training: A Preliminary Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang Xiao ◽  
Qiang Lin ◽  
Wai-Leung Lo ◽  
Yu-Rong Mao ◽  
Xin-chong Shi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Sensorimotor Cortex ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Cortical Reorganization ◽  
Gait Velocity ◽  
Stroke Survivors ◽  
Subacute Stroke ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Primary Sensorimotor Cortex ◽  
Gait Function

Background. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a promising method for quantifying brain recovery and investigating the intervention-induced changes in corticomotor excitability after stroke. This study aimed to evaluate cortical reorganization subsequent to virtual reality-enhanced treadmill (VRET) training in subacute stroke survivors.Methods. Eight participants with ischemic stroke underwent VRET for 5 sections per week and for 3 weeks. fMRI was conducted to quantify the activity of selected brain regions when the subject performed ankle dorsiflexion. Gait speed and clinical scales were also measured before and after intervention.Results. Increased activation in the primary sensorimotor cortex of the lesioned hemisphere and supplementary motor areas of both sides for the paretic foot (p<0.01) was observed postintervention. Statistically significant improvements were observed in gait velocity (p<0.05). The change in voxel counts in the primary sensorimotor cortex of the lesioned hemisphere is significantly correlated with improvement of 10 m walk time after VRET (r=−0.719).Conclusions. We observed improved walking and increased activation in cortical regions of stroke survivors after VRET training. Moreover, the cortical recruitment was associated with better walking function. Our study suggests that cortical networks could be a site of plasticity, and their recruitment may be one mechanism of training-induced recovery of gait function in stroke. This trial is registered with ChiCTR-IOC-15006064.

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