Differential Relationship between Microstructural Integrity in White Matter Tracts and Motor Recovery following Stroke Based on Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Genotype.

Objective: The relationship between white matter integrity and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor () genotype and its effects on motor recovery after stroke are poorly understood. We investigated the values of fractional anisotropy (FA) in the corticospinal tract (CST), the intrahemispheric connection from the primary motor cortex to the ventral premotor cortex (M1PMv), and the interhemispheric connection via the corpus callosum (CC) in patients with the genotype from the acute to the subacute phase after stroke.

Methods: The Fugl-Meyer assessment, upper extremity (FMA-UE), and tract-related FA were assessed at 2 weeks (T1) and 3 months (T2) after stroke using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

Effects of Process-Based Cognitive Training on Memory in the Healthy Elderly and Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: This study investigated the effects of process-based cognitive training that targets working memory and cognitive control on memory improvement in healthy elderly individuals and patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: Forty healthy subjects and 40 patients with MCI were randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. The intervention group received 12 sessions of designated cognitive training.

Prediction of motor recovery using indirect connectivity in a lesion network after ischemic stroke.

Background: Recovery prediction can assist in the planning for impairment-focused rehabilitation after a stroke. This study investigated a new prediction model based on a lesion network analysis. To predict the potential for recovery, we focused on the next link-step connectivity of the direct neighbors of a lesion.

Modulating Effects of Whole-body Vibration on Cortical Activity and Gait Function in Chronic Stroke Patients.

Unlabelled: Whole-body vibration exercise (WBVe) can provide proper somatosensory stimulation and improve muscle strength in stroke patients. This study investigated the effects of WBVe on gait function and cortical activity in patients with chronic stroke. Thirty stroke patients were randomly assigned to either the WBVe or the control group.

Different Brain Connectivity between Responders and Nonresponders to Dual-Mode Noninvasive Brain Stimulation over Bilateral Primary Motor Cortices in Stroke Patients.

Noninvasive brain stimulation (NBS), such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) or transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), has been used in stroke patients with motor impairment. NBS can help recovery from brain damage by modulating cortical excitability. However, the efficacy of NBS varies among individuals.

Relationship between Serum BDNF Levels and Depressive Mood in Subacute Stroke Patients: A Preliminary Study.

The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate the potential of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as a biomarker in poststroke depressive mood in subacute stroke patients. Thirty-eight subacute stroke patients were recruited in this study. All participants underwent the standard rehabilitation program that included 2 h of physical therapy daily and 1 h of occupational therapy five days a week.

Modulation of Cortical Activity by High-Frequency Whole-Body Vibration Exercise: An fNIRS Study.

Context: Whole-body vibration (WBV) has shown many positive effects on the human body in rehabilitation and clinical settings in which vibration has been used to elicit muscle contractions in spastic and paretic muscles.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether WBV exercise (WBVe) differently modulates the cortical activity associated with motor and prefrontal function based on its frequency.

Methods: A total of 18 healthy male adults (mean age: 25.

Differences in motor network dynamics during recovery between supra- and infra-tentorial ischemic strokes.

Most previous stroke studies have been performed in heterogeneous patient populations. Moreover, the brain network might demonstrate different recovery dynamics according to lesion location. In this study, we investigated variation in motor network alterations according to lesion location.

Alteration and Role of Interhemispheric and Intrahemispheric Connectivity in Motor Network After Stroke.

This study investigated local and global changes in the motor network using longitudinal resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Motor impairment was measured in 81 stroke patients using Fugl-Meyer assessment on the same day as rs-fMRI acquisition at both 2 weeks and 3 months post-stroke. The relationships between network measures and motor function scores were assessed.

Modulating Brain Connectivity by Simultaneous Dual-Mode Stimulation over Bilateral Primary Motor Cortices in Subacute Stroke Patients.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) or transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been used for the modulation of stroke patients' motor function. Recently, more challenging approaches have been studied. In this study, simultaneous stimulation using both rTMS and tDCS (dual-mode stimulation) over bilateral primary motor cortices (M1s) was investigated to compare its modulatory effects with single rTMS stimulation over the ipsilesional M1 in subacute stroke patients.

Changes in network connectivity during motor imagery and execution.

Background: Recent studies of functional or effective connectivity in the brain have reported that motor-related brain regions were activated during motor execution and motor imagery, but the relationship between motor and cognitive areas has not yet been completely understood. The objectives of our study were to analyze the effective connectivity between motor and cognitive networks in order to define network dynamics during motor execution and motor imagery in healthy individuals. Second, we analyzed the differences in effective connectivity between correct and incorrect responses during motor execution and imagery using dynamic causal modeling (DCM) of electroencephalography (EEG) data.

Interactions Between the Corticospinal Tract and Premotor-Motor Pathways for Residual Motor Output After Stroke.

Background And Purpose: Brain imaging has continuously enhanced our understanding how different brain networks contribute to motor recovery after stroke. However, the present models are still incomplete and do not fit for every patient. The interaction between the degree of damage of the corticospinal tract (CST) and of corticocortical motor connections, that is, the influence of the microstructural state of one connection on the importance of another has been largely neglected.

Real-time measurement of cerebral blood flow during and after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation: A near-infrared spectroscopy study.

Objectives: To confirm the interhemispheric modulation induced by low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the primary motor cortex, real-time regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was assessed using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in the contralateral primary motor cortex (M1) and premotor cortex (PM).

Methods: Ten right-handed healthy subjects completed two experimental sessions that were randomly arranged for real or sham rTMS session. In the real rTMS session, fNIRS data were acquired from the right M1 and PM area, while the motor hot spot of the left M1 was stimulated with 1Hz rTMS for 1200 pulses with two boosters.

Synergistic but independent: The role of corticospinal and alternate motor fibers for residual motor output after stroke.

Background: Brain imaging has shown that not only the cortico-spinal tract (CST), but also alternate corticofugal motor fibers (aMF), such as the cortico-rubro-spinal and cortico-reticulo-spinal tract, influence residual motor output after stroke. So far, studies mainly have investigated each tract separately. A combined analysis of CST and aMF with assessment of their interactive role, i.

Association Between Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Genotype and Upper Extremity Motor Outcome After Stroke.

Background And Purpose: The identification of intrinsic factors for predicting upper extremity motor outcome could aid the design of individualized treatment plans in stroke rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to identify prognostic factors, including intrinsic genetic factors, for upper extremity motor outcome in patients with subacute stroke.

Methods: A total of 97 patients with subacute stroke were enrolled.

Dual-mode noninvasive brain stimulation over the bilateral primary motor cortices in stroke patients.

Background: Noninvasive brain stimulation (NBS) using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) or transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has recently been adopted for modulating motor function in stroke patients.

Objective: We investigated the effect of simultaneous dual-mode stimulation using rTMS and tDCS over the bilateral primary motor cortices (M1) to assess its efficacy as compared to single stimulation using rTMS for the recovery of motor function in subacute stroke patients.

Methods: Thirty subacute stroke patients were recruited in this study.

Prediction of Motor Recovery Using Quantitative Parameters of Motor Evoked Potential in Patients With Stroke.

Objective: To investigate the clinical significance of quantitative parameters in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-induced motor evoked potentials (MEP) which can be adopted to predict functional recovery of the upper limb in stroke patients in the early subacute phase.

Methods: One hundred thirteen patients (61 men, 52 women; mean age 57.8±12.

Effect of cumulative repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on freezing of gait in patients with atypical Parkinsonism: A pilot study.

Objective: To investigate the potential of cumulative high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) on freezing of gait in atypical Parkinsonism.

Design: Randomized, single-blinded, crossover study with a blinded observer.

Participants: Eight patients with atypical Parkinsonism.

Effects of Bilateral Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Post-Stroke Dysphagia.

Background: Optimal protocol of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on post-stroke dysphagia remains uncertain with regard to its clinical efficacy.

Objective: The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of high-frequency rTMS at the bilateral motor cortices over the cortical representation of the mylohyoid muscles in the patients with post-stroke dysphagia.

Methods: This study was a single-blind, randomized controlled study with a blinded observer.

Cerebrolysin combined with rehabilitation promotes motor recovery in patients with severe motor impairment after stroke.

Background: Cerebrolysin is a neuropeptide preparation with neuroprotective and neurorestorative effects. Combining Cerebrolysin treatment with a standardized rehabilitation program may have a potential synergistic effect in the subacute stage of stroke. This study aims to evaluate whether Cerebrolysin provides additional motor recovery on top of rehabilitation therapy in the subacute stroke patients with moderate to severe motor impairment.

Chronic Kidney Disease and Functional Outcomes 6 Months after Ischemic Stroke: A Prospective Multicenter Study.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate whether chronic kidney disease (CKD) predicts the outcome of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and the Korean version of the modified Barthel Index (K-MBI) 6 months after stroke with adjustment for age, gender, education, smoking, drinking, obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, the FIM or K-MBI at discharge and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score 7 days post stroke.

Methods: This study is an interim report of the Korean Stroke Cohort for Functioning and Rehabilitation. The sample included 2,037 ischemic stroke patients aged 18 years or older.

Prediction of Motor Recovery Using Diffusion Tensor Tractography in Supratentorial Stroke Patients With Severe Motor Involvement.

Objective: To investigate whether early stage diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) values predict motor function at 3 months after onset in supratentorial stroke patients with severe motor involvement.

Methods: A retrospective study design was used to analyze medical records and neuroimaging data of 49 supratentorial stroke patients with severe motor involvement. Diffusion tensor imaging was assessed within 3 weeks after stroke in all patients.

What is the optimal anodal electrode position for inducing corticomotor excitability changes in transcranial direct current stimulation?

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) non-invasively modulates brain function by inducing neuronal excitability. The conventional hot spot for inducing the highest current density in the hand motor area may not be the optimal site for effective stimulation. In this study, we investigated the influence of the center position of the anodal electrode on changes in motor cortical excitability.

BDNF polymorphism and differential rTMS effects on motor recovery of stroke patients.

Background: The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene often shows a single nucleotide polymorphism that is thought to influence synaptic plasticity. It also affects the modulatory effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on motor cortex excitability.

Objective: This study investigated whether BDNF polymorphism influences the effect of rTMS on the motor recovery of patients with stroke.