Changes in brain activation in stroke patients after mental practice and physical exercise: a functional MRI study

作     者：Hua Liu Luping Song Tong Zhang 

作者机构：Capital Medical University School of Rehabilitation MedicineChina Rehabilitation Research Center 

出 版 物：《Neural Regeneration Research》 (中国神经再生研究（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2014年第9卷第15期

页      面：1474-1484页

核心收录：

学科分类：1002[医学-临床医学] 100204[医学-神经病学] 10[医学] 

主　　题：nerve regeneration brain activation cortical activation somatosensory cortex corticalreorganization stroke mental practice functional recovery motor imagery neural regeneration 

摘      要：Mental practice is a new rehabilitation method that reters to the mental rehearsal ot motor imagery content with the goal of improving motor performance. However, the relationship between activated regions and motor recovery after mental practice training is not well understood. In this study, 15 patients who suffered a firstever subcortical stroke with neurological deficits affecting the right hand, but no significant cognitive impairment were recruited. 10 patients underwent mental practice combined with physical practice training, and 5 patients only underwent physical practice training. We observed brain activation regions after 4 weeks of training, and explored the correlation of activation changes with functional recovery of the affected hands. The results showed that, after 4 weeks of mental practice combined with physical training, the Fugl-Meyer assessment score for the affected right hand was significantly increased than that after 4 weeks of practice training alone. Functional MRI showed enhanced activation in the left primary somatosensory cortex, attenuated activation intensity in the right primary motor cortex, and enhanced right cerebellar activation observed during the motor imagery task using the affected right hand after mental practice training. The changes in brain cortical activity were related to functional recovery of the hand. Experimental findings indicate that cortical and cerebellar functional reorganization following mental practice contributed to the improvement of hand function.