Effect of Sequential Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation With Bilateral Arm Training on the Brain Effective Connectivity in Chronic Stroke

This study investigated the effects of combining repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with bilateral arm training (BAT) on effective brain connectivity in chronic stroke patients using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Fifteen post-stroke patients and fifteen healthy individuals were enrolled. Coupling function analysis was performed to evaluate the effective connectivity inflow, outflow, and the dominant information flow (DIF) during standalone BAT and combined rTMS-BAT therapy. Significant task-related alterations were observed in the ipsilesional supplementary motor area and occipital lobe (OL) of stroke patients undergoing rTMS-BAT. During BAT, stroke patients exhibited more pronounced DIF from the OL to motor areas compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, in the rTMS-BAT condition, patients demonstrated enhanced DIF from the ipsilesional OL and contralesional prefrontal cortex to ipsilesional motor areas. These findings suggested a potential synergistic effect on cortical reorganization through the sequential combination of task-related training and TMS in chronic stroke patients, offering insights into rehabilitation strategies.

Can motion capture improve task-based fMRI studies of motor function post-stroke? A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Variability in motor recovery after stroke represents a major challenge in its understanding and management. While functional MRI has been used to unravel interactions between stroke motor function and clinical outcome, fMRI alone cannot clarify any relation between brain activation and movement characteristics.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to identify fMRI and kinematic coupling approaches and to evaluate their potential contribution to the understanding of motor function post-stroke.

METHOD

A systematic literature review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines on studies using fMRI and kinematics in post-stroke individuals. We assessed the internal, external, statistical, and technological validity of each study. Data extraction included study design and analysis procedures used to couple brain activity with movement characteristics.

RESULTS

Of the 404 studies found, 23 were included in the final review. The overall study quality was moderate (0.6/1). Thirteen studies used kinematic information either parallel to the fMRI results, or as a real-time input to external devices, for instance to provide feedback to the patient. Ten studies performed a statistical analysis between movement and brain activity by either using kinematics as variables during group or individual level regression or correlation. This permitted establishing links between movement characteristics and brain activity, unraveling cortico-kinematic relationships. For instance, increased activity in the ipsilesional Premotor Cortex was related to less smooth movements, whereas trunk compensation was expressed by increased activity in the contralesional Primary Motor Cortex.

CONCLUSION

Our review suggests that the coupling of fMRI and kinematics may provide valuable insight into cortico-kinematic relationships. The optimization and standardization of both data measurement and treatment procedures may help the field to move forward and to fully use the potential of multimodal cortico-kinematic integration to unravel the complexity of post-stroke motor function and recovery.

Progressive Evaluation of Ischemic Occlusion in a Macaque Monkey with Sudden Exacerbation of Infarction During Acute Stroke: A Case Report

Early neurological deterioration is associated with poor functional outcomes in stroke patients, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to understand the progression of stroke-related brain damage using a rhesus monkey model with ischemic occlusion. Multiparameter MRI was used to monitor the progressive evolution of the brain lesion following stroke. Resting-state functional MRI, dynamic susceptibility contrast perfusion MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, and T1- and T2-weighted scans were acquired prior to surgery and at 4-6 h, 48 h, and 96 h following the stroke. The results revealed a sudden increase in infarction volume after the hyper-acute phase but before 48 h on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), with a slight extension by 96 h. Lower relative cerebral blood flow (CBF) and time to maximum (Tmax) prior to the stroke, along with a progressive decrease post-stroke, were observed when compared to other stroke monkeys in the same cohort. Functional connectivity (FC) in the ipsilesional secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) and primary motor cortex (M1) exhibited an immediate decline on Day 0 compared to baseline and followed by a slight increase on Day 2 and a further decrease on Day 4. These findings provide valuable insights into infarction progression, emphasizing the critical role of collateral circulation and its impact on early neurological deterioration during acute stroke.

Differences in motor network reorganization between patients with good and poor upper extremity impairment outcomes after stroke

Changes in cortical excitability after stroke are closely associated with motor function recovery. This study aimed to clarify the motor network reorganization mechanisms corresponding to the different clinical outcomes of upper limb motor impairment in patients with subacute stroke. Motor function was assessed before rehabilitation (pre), after rehabilitation (post), and at the 1-year follow-up (follow-up) using the Fugl-Meyer assessment upper extremity scale. Further, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were collected in both pre- and post-conditions. Twenty patients with stroke were categorized into good and poor outcome groups based on motor impairments at the 1-year follow-up. Functional connections between motor-related regions of interest and the rest of the brain were subsequently calculated. Finally, the correlation between motor network reorganization and behavioral improvement at the 1-year follow-up was analyzed. The good outcome group exhibited a positive precondition motor function and continuous improvement, whereas the poor outcome group showed a weak precondition motor function and insignificant improvement. Contralesional hemisphere-related connections were found to be higher in the good outcome group pre-conditioning, with both groups showing minimal change post-conditioning, while no relationship with motor impairment was found. Long interhemispheric connections were decreased and increased in the good and poor outcome groups respectively, and were negatively correlated with motor impairment. Different motor network reorganizations during the subacute phase can influence the varying motor outcomes in the affected upper limb after stroke. These findings may serve as the theoretical basis for future neuromodulatory research.

Individual contralesional recruitment in the context of structural reserve in early motor reorganization after stroke

The concept of structural reserve in stroke reorganization assumes that the relevance of the contralesional hemisphere strongly depends on the brain tissue spared by the lesion in the affected hemisphere. Recent studies, however, have indicated that the contralesional hemisphere's impact exhibits region-specific variability with concurrently existing maladaptive and supportive influences. This challenges traditional views, necessitating a nuanced investigation of contralesional motor areas and their interaction with ipsilesional networks. Our study focused on the functional role of contralesional key motor areas and lesion-induced connectome disruption early after stroke. Online TMS data of twenty-five stroke patients was analyzed to disentangle interindividual differences in the functional roles of contralesional primary motor cortex (M1), dorsal premotor cortex (dPMC), and anterior interparietal sulcus (aIPS) for motor function. Connectome-based lesion symptom mapping and corticospinal tract lesion quantification were used to investigate how TMS effects depend on ipsilesional structural network properties. At group and individual levels, TMS interference with contralesional M1 and aIPS but not dPMC led to improved performance early after stroke. At the connectome level, a more disturbing role of contralesional M1 was related to a more severe disruption of the structural integrity of ipsilesional M1 in the affected motor network. In contrast, a detrimental influence of contralesional aIPS was linked to less disruption of the ipsilesional M1 connectivity. Our findings indicate that contralesional areas distinctively interfere with motor performance early after stroke depending on ipsilesional structural integrity, extending the concept of structural reserve to regional specificity in recovery of function.

Identifying biomarkers related to motor function in chronic stroke: A fNIRS and TMS study

BACKGROUND

Upper limb motor impairment commonly occurs after stroke, impairing quality of life. Brain network reorganization likely differs between subgroups with differing impairment severity. This study explored differences in functional connectivity (FC) and corticospinal tract (CST) integrity between patients with mild/moderate versus severe hemiplegia poststroke to clarify the neural correlates underlying motor deficits.

METHOD

Sixty chronic stroke patients with upper limb motor impairment were categorized into mild/moderate and severe groups based on Fugl-Meyer scores. Resting-state FC was assessed using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to compare connectivity patterns between groups across motor regions. CST integrity was evaluated by inducing motor evoked potentials (MEP) via transcranial magnetic stimulation.

RESULTS

Compared to the mild/moderate group, the severe group exhibited heightened premotor cortex-primary motor cortex (PMC-M1) connectivity (t = 4.56, p < 0.01). Absence of MEP was also more frequent in the severe group (χ2 = 12.31, p = 0.01). Bayesian models effectively distinguished subgroups and identified the PMC-M1 connection as highly contributory (accuracy = 91.30%, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.86).

CONCLUSION

Distinct patterns of connectivity and corticospinal integrity exist between stroke subgroups with differing impairments. Strengthened connectivity potentially indicates recruitment of additional motor resources to compensate for damage. These findings elucidate the neural correlates underlying motor deficits poststroke and could guide personalized, network-based therapies targeting predictive biomarkers to improve rehabilitation outcomes.

Local neuronal sleep after stroke: The role of cortical bistability in brain reorganization

BACKGROUND

Acute cerebral ischemia triggers a number of cellular mechanisms not only leading to excitotoxic cell death but also to enhanced neuroplasticity, facilitating neuronal reorganization and functional recovery.

OBJECTIVE

Transferring these cellular mechanisms to neurophysiological correlates adaptable to patients is crucial to promote recovery post-stroke. The combination of TMS and EEG constitutes a promising readout of neuronal network activity in stroke patients.

METHODS

We used the combination of TMS and EEG to investigate the development of local signal processing and global network alterations in 40 stroke patients with motor deficits alongside neural reorganization from the acute to the chronic phase.

RESULTS

We show that the TMS-EEG response reflects information about reorganization and signal alterations associated with persistent motor deficits throughout the entire post-stroke period. In the early post-stroke phase and in a subgroup of patients with severe motor deficits, TMS applied to the lesioned motor cortex evoked a sleep-like slow wave response associated with a cortical off-period, a manifestation of cortical bistability, as well as a rapid disruption of the TMS-induced formation of causal network effects. Mechanistically, these phenomena were linked to lesions affecting ascending activating brainstem fibers. Of note, slow waves invariably vanished in the chronic phase, but were highly indicative of a poor functional outcome.

CONCLUSION

In summary, we found evidence that transient effects of sleep-like slow waves and cortical bistability within ipsilesional M1 resulting in excessive inhibition may interfere with functional reorganization, leading to a less favorable functional outcome post-stroke, pointing to a new therapeutic target to improve recovery of function.

Neuroimaging of motor recovery after ischemic stroke - functional reorganization of motor network

The long-term motor outcome of acute stroke patients may be correlated to the reorganization of brain motor network. Abundant neuroimaging studies contribute to understand the pathological changes and recovery of motor networks after stroke. In this review, we summarized how current neuroimaging studies have increased understanding of reorganization and plasticity in post stroke motor recovery. Firstly, we discussed the changes in the motor network over time during the motor-activation and resting states, as well as the overall functional integration trend of the motor network. These studies indicate that the motor network undergoes dynamic bilateral hemispheric functional reorganization, as well as a trend towards network randomization. In the second part, we summarized the current study progress in the application of neuroimaging technology to early predict the post-stroke motor outcome. In the third part, we discuss the neuroimaging techniques commonly used in the post-stroke recovery. These methods provide direct or indirect visualization patterns to understand the neural mechanisms of post-stroke motor recovery, opening up new avenues for studying spontaneous and treatment-induced recovery and plasticity after stroke.

Noninvasive brain stimulation in autism: review and outlook for personalized interventions in adult patients

Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has been increasingly investigated during the last decade as a treatment option for persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Yet, previous studies did not reach a consensus on a superior treatment protocol or stimulation target. Persons with ASD often suffer from social isolation and high rates of unemployment, arising from difficulties in social interaction. ASD involves multiple neural systems involved in perception, language, and cognition, and the underlying brain networks of these functional domains have been well documented. Aiming to provide an overview of NIBS effects when targeting these neural systems in late adolescent and adult ASD, we conducted a systematic search of the literature starting at 631 non-duplicate publications, leading to six studies corresponding with inclusion and exclusion criteria. We discuss these studies regarding their treatment rationale and the accordingly chosen methodological setup. The results of these studies vary, while methodological advances may allow to explain some of the variability. Based on these insights, we discuss strategies for future clinical trials to personalize the selection of brain stimulation targets taking into account intersubject variability of brain anatomy as well as function.

Posterior parietal cortical areas and recovery after motor stroke: a scoping review

Brain imaging and electrophysiology have significantly enhanced our current understanding of stroke-related changes in brain structure and function and their implications for recovery processes. In the motor domain, most studies have focused on key motor areas of the frontal lobe including the primary and secondary motor cortices. Time- and recovery-dependent alterations in regional anatomy, brain activity and inter-regional connectivity have been related to recovery. In contrast, the involvement of posterior parietal cortical areas in stroke recovery is poorly understood although these regions are similarly important for important aspects of motor functioning in the healthy brain. Just in recent years, the field has increasingly started to explore to what extent posterior parietal cortical areas might undergo equivalent changes in task-related activation, regional brain structure and inter-regional functional and structural connectivity after stroke. The aim of this scoping review is to give an update on available data covering these aspects and thereby providing novel insights into parieto-frontal interactions for systems neuroscience stroke recovery research in the upper limb motor domain.

Relationship between acute glucose variability and cognitive decline in type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Cognitive decline is one of the most widespread chronic complications of diabetes, which occurs in more than half of the patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Emerging evidences have suggested that glucose variability (GV) is associated with the pathogenesis of diabetic complications. However, the influence of acute GV on cognitive dysfunction in T2DM is still controversial. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between acute GV and cognitive defect in T2DM, and provide a most recent and comprehensive summary of the evidences in this research field.

METHODS

PubMed, Cochrane library, EMBASE, Web of science, Sinomed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang were searched for articles that reported on the association between acute GV and cognitive impairment in T2DM.

RESULTS

9 eligible studies were included, with a total of 1263 patients with T2DM involved. Results showed that summary Fisher's z value was -0.23 [95%CI (-0.39, -0.06)], suggesting statistical significance (P = 0.006). Summary r value was -0.22 [95%CI (-0.37, -0.06)]. A lower cognitive performance was found in the subjects with greater glucose variation, which has statistical significance. Mean amplitude of glycemic excursions (MAGE) was associated with a higher risk of poor functional outcomes. Fisher's z value was -0.35 [95%CI (-0.43, -0.25)], indicating statistical significance (P = 0.011). Sensitivity analyses by omitting individual studies showed stability of the results.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, higher acute GV is associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment in patients with T2DM. Further studies should be required to determine whether targeted intervention of reducing acute GV could prevent cognitive decline.

A Smart Glove Digital System Promotes Restoration of Upper Limb Motor Function and Enhances Cortical Hemodynamic Changes in Subacute Stroke Patients with Mild to Moderate Weakness: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study was a randomized controlled trial to examine the effects of the RAPAEL^® Smart Glove digital training system on upper extremity function and cortical hemodynamic changes in subacute stroke patients. Of 48 patients, 20 experimental and 16 controls completed the study. In addition to conventional occupational therapy (OT), the experimental group received game-based digital hand motor training with the RAPAEL^® Smart Glove digital system, while the control group received extra OT for 30 min. The Fugl-Meyer assessment (UFMA) and Jebsen-Tayler hand function test (JTT) were assessed before (T0), immediately after (T1), and four weeks after intervention (T2). Cortical hemodynamics (oxyhemoglobin [OxyHb] concentration) were measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy. The experimental group had significantly better improvements in UFMA (T1-T0 mean [SD]; Experimental 13.50 [7.49]; Control 8.00 [4.44]; p = 0.014) and JTT (Experimental 21.10 [20.84]; Control 5.63 [5.06]; p = 0.012). The OxyHb concentration change over the ipsilesional primary sensorimotor cortex during the affected wrist movement was greater in the experimental group (T1, Experimental 0.7943 × 10^-4 μmol/L; Control -0.3269 × 10^-4 μmol/L; p = 0.025). This study demonstrated a beneficial effect of game-based virtual reality training with the RAPAEL^® Smart Glove digital system with conventional OT on upper extremity motor function in subacute stroke patients.

Evaluating the Abnormality of Bilateral Motor Cortex Activity in Subacute Stroke Patients Executing a Unimanual Motor Task With Increasing Demand on Precision

Abnormal contralesional M1 activity is consistently reported in patients with compromised upper limb and hand function after stroke. The underlying mechanisms and functional implications of this activity are not clear, which hampers the development of treatment strategies targeting this brain area. The goal of the present study was to determine the extent to which contralesional M1 activity can be explained by the demand of a motor task, given recent evidence for increasing ipsilateral M1 activity with increasing demand in healthy age-matched controls. We hypothesized that higher activity in contralesional M1 is related to greater demand on precision in a hand motor task. fMRI data were collected from 19 patients with ischemic stroke affecting hand function in the subacute recovery phase and 31 healthy, right-handed, age-matched controls. The hand motor task was designed to parametrically modulate the demand on movement precision. Electromyography data confirmed strictly unilateral task performance by all participants. Patients showed significant impairment relative to controls in their ability to perform the task in the fMRI scanner. However, patients and controls responded similarly to an increase in demand for precision, with better performance for larger targets and poorer performance for smaller targets. Patients did not show evidence of elevated ipsilesional or contralesional M1 blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) activation relative to healthy controls and mean BOLD activation levels were not elevated for patients with poorer performance relative to patients with better task performance. While both patients and healthy controls showed demand-dependent increases in BOLD activation in both ipsilesional/contralateral and contralesional/ipsilateral hemispheres, patients with stroke were less likely to show evidence of a linear relationship between the demand on precision and BOLD activation in contralesional M1 than healthy controls. Taken together, the findings suggest that task demand affects the BOLD response in contralesional M1 in patients with stroke, though perhaps less strongly than in healthy controls. This has implications for the interpretation of reported abnormal bilateral M1 activation in patients with stroke because in addition to contralesional M1 reorganization processes it could be partially related to a response to the relatively higher demand of a motor task when completed by patients rather than by healthy controls.

Recovered grasping performance after stroke depends on interhemispheric frontoparietal connectivity

Activity changes in the ipsi- and contralesional parietal cortex and abnormal interhemispheric connectivity between these regions are commonly observed after stroke, however, their significance for motor recovery remains poorly understood. We here assessed the contribution of ipsilesional and contralesional anterior intraparietal cortex (aIPS) for hand motor function in 18 recovered chronic stroke patients and 18 healthy control subjects using a multimodal assessment consisting of resting-state functional MRI, motor task functional MRI, online-repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) interference, and 3D movement kinematics. Effects were compared against two control stimulation sites, i.e. contralesional M1 and a sham stimulation condition. We found that patients with good motor outcome compared to patients with more substantial residual deficits featured increased resting-state connectivity between ipsilesional aIPS and contralesional aIPS as well as between ipsilesional aIPS and dorsal premotor cortex. Moreover, interhemispheric connectivity between ipsilesional M1 and contralesional M1 as well as ipsilesional aIPS and contralesional M1 correlated with better motor performance across tasks. TMS interference at individual aIPS and M1 coordinates led to differential effects depending on the motor task that was tested, i.e. index finger-tapping, rapid pointing movements, or a reach-grasp-lift task. Interfering with contralesional aIPS deteriorated the accuracy of grasping, especially in patients featuring higher connectivity between ipsi- and contralesional aIPS. In contrast, interference with the contralesional M1 led to impaired grasping speed in patients featuring higher connectivity between bilateral M1. These findings suggest differential roles of contralesional M1 and aIPS for distinct aspects of recovered hand motor function, depending on the reorganization of interhemispheric connectivity.

Predicting Individual Treatment Response to rTMS for Motor Recovery After Stroke: A Review and the CanStim Perspective

Background

Rehabilitation is critical for reducing stroke-related disability and improving quality-of-life post-stroke. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a non-invasive neuromodulation technique used as stand-alone or adjunct treatment to physiotherapy, may be of benefit for motor recovery in subgroups of stroke patients. The Canadian Platform for Trials in Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation (CanStim) seeks to advance the use of these techniques to improve post-stroke recovery through clinical trials and pre-clinical studies using standardized research protocols. Here, we review existing clinical trials for demographic, clinical, and neurobiological factors which may predict treatment response to identify knowledge gaps which need to be addressed before implementing these parameters for patient stratification in clinical trial protocols.

Objective

To provide a review of clinical rTMS trials of stroke recovery identifying factors associated with rTMS response in stroke patients with motor deficits and develop research perspectives for pre-clinical and clinical studies.

Methods

A literature search was performed in PubMed, using the Boolean search terms stroke AND repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation OR rTMS AND motor for studies investigating the use of rTMS for motor recovery in stroke patients at any recovery phase. A total of 1,676 articles were screened by two blinded raters, with 26 papers identified for inclusion in this review.

Results

Multiple possible factors associated with rTMS response were identified, including stroke location, cortical thickness, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) genotype, initial stroke severity, and several imaging and clinical factors associated with a relatively preserved functional motor network of the ipsilesional hemisphere. Age, sex, and time post-stroke were generally not related to rTMS response. Factors associated with greater response were identified in studies of both excitatory ipsilesional and inhibitory contralesional rTMS. Heterogeneous study designs and contradictory data exemplify the need for greater protocol standardization and high-quality controlled trials.

Conclusion

Clinical, brain structural and neurobiological factors have been identified as potential predictors for rTMS response in stroke patients with motor impairment. These factors can inform the design of future clinical trials, before being considered for optimization of individual rehabilitation therapy for stroke patients. Pre-clinical models for stroke recovery, specifically developed in a clinical context, may accelerate this process.

Optogenetics stimulates nerve reorganization in the contralesional anterolateral primary motor cortex in a mouse model of ischemic stroke

The anterolateral motor cortex of rodents is an important motor auxiliary area, and its function is similar to that of the premotor area in humans. Activation and inhibition of the contralesional anterolateral motor cortex (cALM) have been shown to have direct effects on motor behavior. However, the significance of cALM activation and inhibition in the treatment of stroke remains unclear. This study investigated the role of optogenetic cALM stimulation in a mouse model of cerebral stroke. The results showed that 21-day optogenetic cALM inhibition, but not activation, improved neurological function. In addition, optogenetic cALM stimulation substantially altered dendritic structural reorganization and dendritic spine plasticity, as optogenetic cALM inhibition resulted in increased dendritic length, number of dendritic spines, and number of perforated synapses, whereas optogenetic activation led to an increase in the number of multiple synapse boutons and the number of dendritic intersections. Furthermore, RNA-seq analysis showed that multiple biological processes regulated by the cALM were upregulated immediately after optogenetic cALM inhibition, and that several immediate-early genes (including cFOS, Erg1, and Sema3f) were expressed at higher levels after optogenetic inhibition than after optogenetic activation. These results were confirmed by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Finally, immunofluorescence analysis showed that the c-FOS signal in layer V of the primary motor cortex in the ischemic hemisphere was higher after optogenetic cALM activation than it was after optogenetic cALM inhibition. Taken together, these findings suggest that optogenetic cALM stimulation promotes neural reorganization in the primary motor cortex of the ischemic hemisphere, and that optogenetic cALM inhibition and activation have different effects on neural plasticity. The study was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Fudan University (approval No. 201802173S) on March 3, 2018.

Predictive models for response to non-invasive brain stimulation in stroke: A critical review of opportunities and pitfalls

BACKGROUND

Noninvasive brain stimulation has been successfully applied to improve stroke-related impairments in different behavioral domains. Yet, clinical translation is limited by heterogenous outcomes within and across studies. It has been proposed to develop and apply noninvasive brain stimulation in a patient-tailored, precision medicine-guided fashion to maximize response rates and effect magnitude. An important prerequisite for this task is the ability to accurately predict the expected response of the individual patient.

OBJECTIVE

This review aims to discuss current approaches studying noninvasive brain stimulation in stroke and challenges associated with the development of predictive models of responsiveness to noninvasive brain stimulation.

METHODS

Narrative review.

RESULTS

Currently, the field largely relies on in-sample associational studies to assess the impact of different influencing factors. However, the associational approach is not valid for making claims of prediction, which generalize out-of-sample. We will discuss crucial requirements for valid predictive modeling in particular the presence of sufficiently large sample sizes.

CONCLUSION

Modern predictive models are powerful tools that must be wielded with great care. Open science, including data sharing across research units to obtain sufficiently large and unbiased samples, could provide a solid framework for addressing the task of building robust predictive models for noninvasive brain stimulation responsiveness.

Early motor network connectivity after stroke: An interplay of general reorganization and state-specific compensation

Motor recovery after stroke relies on functional reorganization of the motor network, which is commonly assessed via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-based resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) or task-related effective connectivity (trEC). Measures of either connectivity mode have been shown to successfully explain motor impairment post-stroke, posing the question whether motor impairment is more closely reflected by rsFC or trEC. Moreover, highly similar changes in ipsilesional and interhemispheric motor network connectivity have been reported for both rsFC and trEC after stroke, suggesting that altered rsFC and trEC may capture similar aspects of information integration in the motor network reflecting principle, state-independent mechanisms of network reorganization rather than state-specific compensation strategies. To address this question, we conducted the first direct comparison of rsFC and trEC in a sample of early subacute stroke patients (n = 26, included on average 7.3 days post-stroke). We found that both rsFC and trEC explained motor impairment across patients, stressing the clinical potential of fMRI-based connectivity. Importantly, intrahemispheric connectivity between ipsilesional M1 and premotor areas depended on the activation state, whereas interhemispheric connectivity between homologs was state-independent. From a mechanistic perspective, our results may thus arise from two distinct aspects of motor network plasticity: task-specific compensation within the ipsilesional hemisphere and a more fundamental form of reorganization between hemispheres.

Voluntary suppression of associated activity decreases force steadiness in the active hand

Unilateral muscle contractions are often accompanied by the activation of the ipsilateral hemisphere, producing associated activity (AA) in the contralateral homologous muscles. However, the functional role of AA is not fully understood. We determined the effects of voluntary suppression of AA in the first dorsal interosseous (FDI), on force steadiness during a constant force isometric contraction of the contralateral FDI. Participants (n = 17, 25.5 years) performed two trials of isometric FDI contractions as steadily as possible. In Trial 1, they did not receive feedback or explicit instructions for suppressing the AA in the contralateral homologous FDI. In Trial 2, participants received feedback and were asked to voluntarily suppress the AA in the contralateral nontarget FDI. During both trials, corticospinal excitability and motor cortical inhibition were measured. The results show that participants effectively suppressed the AA in the nontarget contralateral FDI (-71%), which correlated with reductions in corticospinal excitability (-57%), and the suppression was also accompanied by increases in inhibition (27%) in the ipsilateral motor cortex. The suppression of AA impaired force steadiness, but the decrease in force steadiness did not correlate with the magnitude of suppression. The results show that voluntary suppression of AA decreases force steadiness in the active hand. However, due to the lack of association between suppression and decreased steadiness, we interpret these data to mean that specific elements of the ipsilateral brain activation producing AA in younger adults are neither contributing nor detrimental to unilateral motor control during a steady isometric contraction.

A connectome-based approach to assess motor outcome after neonatal arterial ischemic stroke

Objective

Studies of motor outcome after Neonatal Arterial Ischemic Stroke (NAIS) often rely on lesion mapping using MRI. However, clinical measurements indicate that motor deficit can be different than what would solely be anticipated by the lesion extent and location. Because this may be explained by the cortical disconnections between motor areas due to necrosis following the stroke, the investigation of the motor network can help in the understanding of visual inspection and outcome discrepancy. In this study, we propose to examine the structural connectivity between motor areas in NAIS patients compared to healthy controls in order to define the cortical and subcortical connections that can reflect the motor outcome.

Methods

Thirty healthy controls and 32 NAIS patients with and without Cerebral Palsy (CP) underwent MRI acquisition and manual assessment. The connectome of all participants was obtained from T1‐weighted and diffusion‐weighted imaging.

Results

Significant disconnections in the lesioned and contra‐lesioned hemispheres of patients were found. Furthermore, significant correlations were detected between the structural connectivity metric of specific motor areas and manuality assessed by the Box and Block Test (BBT) scores in patients.

Interpretation

Using the connectivity measures of these links, the BBT score can be estimated using a multiple linear regression model. In addition, the presence or not of CP can also be predicted using the KNN classification algorithm. According to our results, the structural connectome can be an asset in the estimation of gross manual dexterity and can help uncover structural changes between brain regions related to NAIS.