The imaging does nothing for getting survivors recovered, although squeezing the gel ball could help. But since no measurements were taken of hand recovery after the squeezing you can't tell how effective it was.
fMRI as a molecular imaging procedure for the functional reorganization of motor systems in chronic stroke
2013, Molecular Medicine Reports
ASIMINA LAZARIDOU
1,2
, LOUKAS ASTRAKAS
1,2
, DIONYSSIOS MINTZOPOULOS
1,2
, AZADEH KHANCHICEH
3
,
ANEESH SINGHAL
4
, MICHAEL MOSKOWITZ
2
, BRUCE ROSEN
2
and ARIA TZIKA
1,2
1
NMR Surgical Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital and Shriners Burn Institute,
Harvard Medical School;
2
Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging;
3
Mechanical Engineering, Northeastern University;
4
Department of Neurology, Stroke Research Center,
Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Received February 24, 2013; Accepted March 20, 2013
DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2013.1603
Correspondence to: Dr Aria Tzika, NMR Surgical Laboratory,
Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and
Harvard Medical School, Room 261, 51 Blossom Street, Boston,
MA 02114, USA
E-mail: atzika@hms.harvard.edu
Abstract.
Previous brain imaging studies suggest that stroke
alters functional connectivity in motor execution networks.
Moreover, current understanding of brain plasticity has led
to new approaches in stroke rehabilitation. Recent studies
showed a significant role of effective coupling of neuronal
activity in the SMA (supplementary motor area) and M1
(primary motor cortex) network for motor outcome in
patients after stroke. After a subcortical stroke, functional
magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during movement
reveals cortical reorganization that is associated with the
recovery of function. The aim of the present study was to
explore connectivity alterations within the motor-related
areas combining motor fMRI with a novel MR-compatible
hand-induced robotic device (MR_CHIROD) training.
Patients completed training at home and underwent serial
MR evaluation at baseline and after 8 weeks of training.
Training at home consisted of squeezing a gel exercise ball
with the paretic hand at ~75% of maximum strength for
1 h/day, 3 days/week. The fMRI analysis revealed alterations
in M1, SMA, PMC (premotor cortex) and Cer (cerebellum) in
both stroke patients and healthy controls after the training.
Findings of the present study suggest(Well, you didn't power the research enough to create protocols!) that enhancement of
SMA activity could benefit M1 dysfunction in stroke survivors. These results also indicate that connectivity alterations
between motor areas might assist the counterbalance of a
functionally abnormal M1 in chronic stroke survivors and
possibly other patients with motor dysfunction.
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