Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2005 Aug;86(8):1706-8.

Cortical reorganization of hand motor function to primary sensory cortex in hemiparetic patients with a primary motor cortex infarct.

Jang SH¹, Ahn SH, Yang DS, Lee DK, Kim DK, Son SM.

Author information

1: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Yeungnam University School of Medicine, Taegu, South Korea.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To show cortical reorganization in hemiparetic patients with a primary motor cortex (M1) infarct including the precentral knob by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

DESIGN:

Case-control.

SETTING:

Outpatient clinics in the rehabilitation department of a university hospital.

PARTICIPANTS:

Two stroke patients and 20 control subjects.

INTERVENTIONS:

By using fMRI, we evaluated the hand motor function of 2 hemiparetic stroke patients, who had made some recovery from complete paralysis of the affected hand, and 20 control subjects.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:

fMRI was performed by using the blood oxygen level-dependent technique at 1.5 T with a standard head coil. The motor task paradigm consisted of hand grasp-release movements.

RESULTS:

The contralateral primary sensorimotor cortex was activated by the hand movements of the control subjects and of the unaffected side of the 2 patients. Only the contralateral (infarct side) primary sensory cortex (S1) was activated by the movements of the affected hand of the 2 patients, a result that was not observed in the control subjects or with the unaffected hand in the stroke patients.

CONCLUSIONS:

The hand motor function associated with the infarcted M1 in our patients was reorganized into the S1. These results suggest cortical reorganization in patients with an M1 infarct.