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Jung JY, Yoo YJ, Yoon MJ, Hong BY, Kim TW, Park GY, Lee JI, Lee SH, Im S, Lim SH. The integrity of thalamo-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex tract: a key factor in residual consciousness in disorders of consciousness patients. Front Neurol 2024; 15:1373750. [PMID: 39206298 PMCID: PMC11349516 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1373750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The mesocircuit model describes a complex network that includes the prefrontal cortical-striatopallidal-thalamo-cortical loop systems and is involved in the mechanism underlying consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC). Inhibitory signals to the thalamus become hyperactive in DoC patients, leading to a loss of consciousness. Reactivating this mesocircuit system is important for recovering consciousness in these patients. We investigated how the residual integrity of the thalamo-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex tract (TDLPFCT) influences consciousness in patients with DoC. Methods This retrospective case-control study included three groups: prolonged DoC (n = 20), stroke without DoC (n = 20), and healthy controls (n = 20). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was performed at least 4 weeks after the onset. Thalamo-DLPFC tracts were reconstructed using diffusion tensor tractography, and fractional anisotropy (FA) and tract volume (TV) were measured for each hemisphere. Consciousness was assessed using the revised coma recovery scale (CRS-R) within a week of brain imaging. Results Significant differences in DLPFCT TV were observed across all three groups, in both affected and less-affected lobes, with the DoC group showing the greatest reduction. A significant correlation was found between the TV of the less-affected TDLPFCT and CRS-R score. Conclusion The integrity of the TDLPFCT, particularly in the less affected hemisphere, is associated with consciousness levels in patients with prolonged DoC. This finding suggests its potential importance in assessing prognosis and further developing therapeutic strategies for patients with DoC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Yoon Jung
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, St. Vincent’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeun Jie Yoo
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, St. Vincent’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Mi-Jeong Yoon
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, St. Vincent’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Bo Young Hong
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, St. Vincent’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae-Woo Kim
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, National Traffic Injury Rehabilitation Hospital, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Geun-Young Park
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Bucheon St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong In Lee
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Soo-Hwan Lee
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Bucheon St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun Im
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Bucheon St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seong Hoon Lim
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Institute for Basic Medical Science, Catholic Medical Center, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Kim T, Salazar Fajardo JC, Jang H, Lee J, Kim Y, Kim G, Kim D. Effect of optimized transcranial direct current stimulation on motor cortex activation in patients with sub-acute or chronic stroke: a study protocol for a single-blinded cross-over randomized control trial. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1328727. [PMID: 38192515 PMCID: PMC10773722 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1328727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has shown positive but inconsistent results in stroke rehabilitation. This could be attributed to inter-individual variations in brain characteristics and stroke lesions, which limit the use of a single tDCS protocol for all post-stroke patients. Optimizing the electrode location in tDCS for each individual using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to generate three-dimensional computer models and calculate the electric field (E-field) induced by tDCS at a specific target point in the primary motor cortex may help reduce these inconsistencies. In stroke rehabilitation, locating the optimal position that generates a high E-field in a target area can influence motor recovery. Therefore, this study was designed to determine the effect of personalized tDCS electrode positions on hand-knob activation in post-stroke patients. Method This is a crossover study with a sample size of 50 participants, who will be randomly assigned to one of six groups and will receive one session of either optimized-active, conventional-active, or sham tDCS, with 24 h between sessions. The tDCS parameters will be 1 mA (5 × 5 cm electrodes) for 20 min. The motor-evoked potential (MEP) will be recorded before and after each session over the target area (motor cortex hand-knob) and the MEP hotspot. The MEP amplitude at the target location will be the primary outcome. Discussion We hypothesize that the optimized-active tDCS session would show a greater increase in MEP amplitude over the target area in patients with subacute and chronic stroke than conventional and sham tDCS sessions.Clinical trial registration: https://cris.nih.go.kr, identifier KCT0007536.
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Affiliation(s)
- TaeYeong Kim
- Research Institute, Neurophet Inc., Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Hanna Jang
- Research Institute, Neurophet Inc., Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Juwon Lee
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Kangwon National University Hospital, Chuncheon-si, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeonkyung Kim
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Kangwon National University Hospital, Chuncheon-si, Republic of Korea
| | - Gowun Kim
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Kangwon National University Hospital, Chuncheon-si, Republic of Korea
| | - Donghyeon Kim
- Research Institute, Neurophet Inc., Seoul, Republic of Korea
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