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Coppieters I, De Pauw R, Caeyenberghs K, Lenoir D, DeBlaere K, Genbrugge E, Meeus M, Cagnie B. Differences in white matter structure and cortical thickness between patients with traumatic and idiopathic chronic neck pain: Associations with cognition and pain modulation? Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 39:1721-1742. [PMID: 29327392 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2017] [Revised: 12/05/2017] [Accepted: 01/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain alterations are hypothesized to be present in patients with chronic whiplash-associated disorders (CWAD). The aim of this case-control study was to examine alterations in cortical thickness and white matter (WM) structure, and the presence of brain microhemorrhages in a patient group encountering chronic neck pain of traumatic origin (i.e., CWAD) when compared with a patient group characterized by nontraumatic chronic neck pain [i.e., chronic idiopathic neck pain (CINP)], and healthy controls. Furthermore, we aimed to investigate associations between brain structure on one hand and cognitive performance and central sensitization (CS) on the other hand. T1-weighted, diffusion-weighted and T2*-weighted magnetic resonance images of the brain were acquired in 105 women (31 controls, 37 CINP, 37 CWAD) to investigate regional cortical thickness, WM structure, and microhemorrhages, respectively. Next, cognitive performance, and CS encompassing distant hyperalgesia and conditioned pain modulation (CPM) efficacy were examined. Cortical thinning in the left precuneus was revealed in CWAD compared with CINP patients. Also, decreased fractional anisotropy, together with increased values of mean diffusivity and radial diffusivity could be observed in the left cingulum hippocampus and tapetum in CWAD compared with CINP, and in the left tapetum in CWAD patients compared with controls. Moreover, the extent of WM structural deficits in the left tapetum coincided with decreased CPM efficacy in the CWAD group. This yields evidence for associations between decreased endogenous pain inhibition, and the degree of regional WM deficits in CWAD. Our results emphasize the role of structural brain alterations in women with CWAD compared with CINP.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Coppieters
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Pain in Motion International Research Group (www.paininmotion.be).,Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy (KIMA), Faculty of Physical Education & Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
| | - R De Pauw
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - K Caeyenberghs
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, Banyo, Australia
| | - D Lenoir
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - K DeBlaere
- Department of Radiology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - E Genbrugge
- Department of Radiology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - M Meeus
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Pain in Motion International Research Group (www.paininmotion.be).,Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - B Cagnie
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Caeyenberghs K, Pijnenburg M, Goossens N, Janssens L, Brumagne S. Associations between Measures of Structural Morphometry and Sensorimotor Performance in Individuals with Nonspecific Low Back Pain. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2017; 38:183-191. [PMID: 27884877 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a5020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE To date, most structural brain imaging studies in individuals with nonspecific low back pain have evaluated volumetric changes. These alterations are particularly found in sensorimotor-related areas. Although it is suggested that specific measures, such as cortical surface area and cortical thickness, reflect different underlying neural architectures, the literature regarding these different measures in individuals with nonspecific low back pain is limited. Therefore, the current study was designed to investigate the association between the performance on a sensorimotor task, more specifically the sit-to-stand-to-sit task, and cortical surface area and cortical thickness in individuals with nonspecific low back pain and healthy controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS Seventeen individuals with nonspecific low back pain and 17 healthy controls were instructed to perform 5 consecutive sit-to-stand-to-sit movements as fast as possible. In addition, T1-weighted anatomic scans of the brain were acquired and analyzed with FreeSurfer. RESULTS Compared with healthy controls, individuals with nonspecific low back pain needed significantly more time to perform 5 sit-to-stand-to-sit movements (P < .05). Brain morphometric analyses revealed that cortical thickness of the ventrolateral prefrontal cortical regions was increased in patients with nonspecific low back pain compared with controls. Furthermore, decreased cortical thickness of the rostral anterior cingulate cortex was associated with lower sit-to-stand-to-sit performance on an unstable support surface in individuals with nonspecific low back pain and healthy controls (r = -0.47, P < .007). In addition, a positive correlation was found between perceived pain intensity and cortical thickness of the superior frontal gyrus (r = 0.70, P < .002) and the pars opercularis of the inferior ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (r = 0.67, P < .004). Hence, increased cortical thickness was associated with increased levels of pain intensity in individuals with nonspecific low back pain. No associations were found between cortical surface area and the pain characteristics in this group. CONCLUSIONS The current study suggests that cortical thickness may contribute to different aspects of sit-to-stand-to-sit performance and perceived pain intensity in individuals with nonspecific low back pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Caeyenberghs
- From the School of Psychology (K.C.), Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - M Pijnenburg
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (M.P., N.G., L.J., S.B.), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - N Goossens
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (M.P., N.G., L.J., S.B.), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - L Janssens
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (M.P., N.G., L.J., S.B.), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Hasselt University (L.J.), Biomedical Research Institute, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - S Brumagne
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (M.P., N.G., L.J., S.B.), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Drakesmith M, Caeyenberghs K, Dutt A, Lewis G, David AS, Jones DK. Overcoming the effects of false positives and threshold bias in graph theoretical analyses of neuroimaging data. Neuroimage 2015; 118:313-33. [PMID: 25982515 PMCID: PMC4558463 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2014] [Revised: 03/12/2015] [Accepted: 05/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Graph theory (GT) is a powerful framework for quantifying topological features of neuroimaging-derived functional and structural networks. However, false positive (FP) connections arise frequently and influence the inferred topology of networks. Thresholding is often used to overcome this problem, but an appropriate threshold often relies on a priori assumptions, which will alter inferred network topologies. Four common network metrics (global efficiency, mean clustering coefficient, mean betweenness and smallworldness) were tested using a model tractography dataset. It was found that all four network metrics were significantly affected even by just one FP. Results also show that thresholding effectively dampens the impact of FPs, but at the expense of adding significant bias to network metrics. In a larger number (n=248) of tractography datasets, statistics were computed across random group permutations for a range of thresholds, revealing that statistics for network metrics varied significantly more than for non-network metrics (i.e., number of streamlines and number of edges). Varying degrees of network atrophy were introduced artificially to half the datasets, to test sensitivity to genuine group differences. For some network metrics, this atrophy was detected as significant (p<0.05, determined using permutation testing) only across a limited range of thresholds. We propose a multi-threshold permutation correction (MTPC) method, based on the cluster-enhanced permutation correction approach, to identify sustained significant effects across clusters of thresholds. This approach minimises requirements to determine a single threshold a priori. We demonstrate improved sensitivity of MTPC-corrected metrics to genuine group effects compared to an existing approach and demonstrate the use of MTPC on a previously published network analysis of tractography data derived from a clinical population. In conclusion, we show that there are large biases and instability induced by thresholding, making statistical comparisons of network metrics difficult. However, by testing for effects across multiple thresholds using MTPC, true group differences can be robustly identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Drakesmith
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK; Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute (NMHRI), School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Maindy Road, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK.
| | - K Caeyenberghs
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, 115 Victoria Parade, Melbourne, VIC 3065, Australia
| | - A Dutt
- Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - G Lewis
- Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, Charles Bell House, 67-73 Riding House Street, London W1W 7EJ, UK
| | - A S David
- Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - D K Jones
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK; Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute (NMHRI), School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Maindy Road, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
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Van Oosterwijck J, Caeyenberghs K, Meeus M, Dhondt E, Burggraeve L, Danneels L. Structural brain plasticity induced by physical training in adults affected by aging or disease related impairments: a systematic review. Physiotherapy 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physio.2015.03.1850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Caeyenberghs K, Powell HWR, Thomas RH, Brindley L, Church C, Evans J, Muthukumaraswamy SD, Jones DK, Hamandi K. Hyperconnectivity in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: a network analysis. Neuroimage Clin 2014; 7:98-104. [PMID: 25610771 PMCID: PMC4299970 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2014.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2014] [Revised: 10/16/2014] [Accepted: 11/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Objective Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is a common idiopathic (genetic) generalized epilepsy (IGE) syndrome characterized by impairments in executive and cognitive control, affecting independent living and psychosocial functioning. There is a growing consensus that JME is associated with abnormal function of diffuse brain networks, typically affecting frontal and fronto-thalamic areas. Methods Using diffusion MRI and a graph theoretical analysis, we examined bivariate (network-based statistic) and multivariate (global and local) properties of structural brain networks in patients with JME (N = 34) and matched controls. Neuropsychological assessment was performed in a subgroup of 14 patients. Results Neuropsychometry revealed impaired visual memory and naming in JME patients despite a normal full scale IQ (mean = 98.6). Both JME patients and controls exhibited a small world topology in their white matter networks, with no significant differences in the global multivariate network properties between the groups. The network-based statistic approach identified one subnetwork of hyperconnectivity in the JME group, involving primary motor, parietal and subcortical regions. Finally, there was a significant positive correlation in structural connectivity with cognitive task performance. Conclusions Our findings suggest that structural changes in JME patients are distributed at a network level, beyond the frontal lobes. The identified subnetwork includes key structures in spike wave generation, along with primary motor areas, which may contribute to myoclonic jerks. We conclude that analyzing the affected subnetworks may provide new insights into understanding seizure generation, as well as the cognitive deficits observed in JME patients. Subnetwork of hyperconnectivity in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy Hyperconnectivity in primary motor, parietal and subcortical regions Network-based statistics is a valuable tool for predicting functional cognitive deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Caeyenberghs
- Department of Physical Therapy and Motor Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium ; Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
| | - H W R Powell
- Department of Neurology, Morriston Hospital, Swansea, United Kingdom ; Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - R H Thomas
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Wales, Alan Richens Welsh Epilepsy Centre, Cardiff, United Kingdom ; MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cathays, United Kingdom
| | - L Brindley
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - C Church
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Wales, Alan Richens Welsh Epilepsy Centre, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - J Evans
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - S D Muthukumaraswamy
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - D K Jones
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - K Hamandi
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom ; Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Wales, Alan Richens Welsh Epilepsy Centre, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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Serbruyns L, Gooijers J, Caeyenberghs K, Meesen RL, Cuypers K, Sisti HM, Leemans A, Swinnen SP. Bimanual motor deficits in older adults predicted by diffusion tensor imaging metrics of corpus callosum subregions. Brain Struct Funct 2013; 220:273-90. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-013-0654-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2013] [Accepted: 10/07/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Caeyenberghs K, Leemans A, Leunissen I, Gooijers J, Michiels K, Sunaert S, Swinnen SP. Altered structural networks and executive deficits in traumatic brain injury patients. Brain Struct Funct 2012; 219:193-209. [PMID: 23232826 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-012-0494-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2012] [Accepted: 11/24/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Recent research on traumatic brain injury (TBI) has shown that impairments in cognitive and executive control functions are accompanied by a disrupted neural connectivity characterized by white matter damage. We constructed binary and weighted brain structural networks in 21 patients with chronic TBI and 17 healthy young adults utilizing diffusion tensor tractography and calculated topological properties of the networks using a graph theoretical method. Executive function was assessed with the local global task and the trail making task, requiring inhibition, updating, and switching. The results revealed that TBI patients were less successful than controls on the executive tasks, as shown by the higher reaction times, higher switch costs, and lower accuracy rates. Moreover, both TBI patients and controls exhibited a small world topology in their white matter networks. More importantly, the TBI patients demonstrated increased shortest path length and decreased global efficiency of the structural network. These findings suggest that TBI patients have a weaker globally integrated structural brain network, resulting in a limited capacity to integrate information across brain regions. Furthermore, we showed that the white matter networks of both groups contained highly connected hub regions that were predominately located in the parietal cortex, frontal cortex, and basal ganglia. Finally, we showed significant correlations between switching performance and network property metrics within the TBI group. Specifically, lower scores on the switching tasks corresponded to a lower global efficiency. We conclude that analyzing the structural brain network connectivity provides new insights into understanding cognitive control changes following brain injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Caeyenberghs
- Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Kinesiology, Biomedical Sciences Group, K.U.Leuven, Leuven, Belgium,
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Caeyenberghs K, Leemans A, De Decker C, Heitger M, Drijkoningen D, Linden CV, Sunaert S, Swinnen SP. Brain connectivity and postural control in young traumatic brain injury patients: A diffusion MRI based network analysis. Neuroimage Clin 2012; 1:106-15. [PMID: 24179743 PMCID: PMC3757722 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2012.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2012] [Revised: 09/15/2012] [Accepted: 09/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Our previous research on traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients has shown a strong relationship between specific white matter (WM) diffusion properties and motor deficits. The potential impact of TBI-related changes in network organization of the associated WM structural network on motor performance, however, remains largely unknown. Here, we used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) based fiber tractography to reconstruct the human brain WM networks of 12 TBI and 17 control participants, followed by a graph theoretical analysis. A force platform was used to measure changes in body posture under conditions of compromised proprioceptive and/or visual feedback. Findings revealed that compared with controls, TBI patients showed higher betweenness centrality and normalized path length, and lower values of local efficiency, implying altered network organization. These results were not merely a consequence of differences in number of connections. In particular, TBI patients displayed reduced structural connectivity in frontal, parieto-premotor, visual, subcortical, and temporal areas. In addition, the decreased connectivity degree was significantly associated with poorer balance performance. We conclude that analyzing the structural brain networks with a graph theoretical approach provides new insights into motor control deficits following brain injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Caeyenberghs
- Motor Control Laboratory, Research Center for Movement Control and Neuroplasticity, KU Leuven, Belgium
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Heremans E, Smits-Engelsman B, Caeyenberghs K, Vercruysse S, Nieuwboer A, Feys P, Helsen W. Keeping an eye on imagery: the role of eye movements during motor imagery training. Neuroscience 2011; 195:37-44. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.07.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2011] [Revised: 07/08/2011] [Accepted: 07/12/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Caeyenberghs K, Leemans A, Geurts M, Taymans T, Linden CV, Smits-Engelsman B, Sunaert S, Swinnen S. Brain-behavior relationships in young traumatic brain injury patients: Fractional anisotropy measures are highly correlated with dynamic visuomotor tracking performance. Neuropsychologia 2010; 48:1472-82. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2009] [Revised: 12/14/2009] [Accepted: 01/23/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Caeyenberghs K, van Roon D, Swinnen S, Smits-Engelsman B. Deficits in executed and imagined aiming performance in brain-injured children. Brain Cogn 2009; 69:154-61. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2008.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2008] [Revised: 07/01/2008] [Accepted: 07/01/2008] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Caeyenberghs K, Wenderoth N, Smits-Engelsman BCM, Sunaert S, Swinnen SP. Neural correlates of motor dysfunction in children with traumatic brain injury: exploration of compensatory recruitment patterns. Brain 2009; 132:684-94. [PMID: 19153150 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awn344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common form of disability in children. Persistent deficits in motor control have been documented following TBI but there has been less emphasis on changes in functional cerebral activity. In the present study, children with moderate to severe TBI (n = 9) and controls (n = 17) were scanned while performing cyclical movements with their dominant and non-dominant hand and foot according to the easy isodirectional (same direction) and more difficult non-isodirectional (opposite direction) mode. Even though the children with TBI were shown to be less successful on various items of a clinical motor test battery than the control group, performance on the coordination task during scanning was similar between groups, allowing a meaningful interpretation of their brain activation differences. fMRI analysis revealed that the TBI children showed enhanced activity in medial and anterior parietal areas as well as posterior cerebellum as compared with the control group. Brain activation generally increased during the non-isodirectional as compared with the isodirectional mode and additional regions were involved, consistent with their differential degree of difficulty. However, this effect did not interact with group. Overall, the findings indicate that motor impairment in TBI children is associated with changes in functional cerebral activity, i.e. they exhibit compensatory activation reflecting increased recruitment of neural resources for attentional deployment and somatosensory processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Caeyenberghs
- Department of Biomedical Kinesiology, Motor Control Laboratory, Research Center for Motor Control and Neuroplasticity, Group Biomedical Sciences, K.U. Leuven, Belgium
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