An fMRI Study for Motor Recovery in Chronic Stroke Patients: A Report of Four Cases

摘要

Objectives: To show cortical reorganization in hemiparetic patients with chronic stroke by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Methods: FMRI motor mapping was performed in four patients (67, 58, 71 and 68 years old) with chronic ischemic lesions in the middle cerebral artery territory who had made some recovery from complete paralysis of the affected hand. The motor task paradigm consisted of hand grasp-release movements. Results: By the movements of the affected hand, the contralesional senso-rimotor cortex was activated in all patients and the activities of the circumference of the injured area were increased in 3 patients. Conclusion: It is proposed that even in the chronic phase, the contralesional motor pathway and perilesional motor-related areas are associated with poststroke neural reorganization which supports significance of chronic stroke rehabilitation.