Motor recovery via the peri-infarct area in patients with corona radiata infarct.
OBJECTIVE
Diffusion tensor image tracography (DTT) could be useful for exploration of the state of the corticospinal tract at the subcortical white matter level. We investigated the neural pathway associated with motor recovery in the patients with corona radiata infarct (CR) using DTT.


METHODS
Three hemiparetic patients who showed severe weakness of the affected upper extremity at stroke onset, were recruited. DTT was performed twice (subacute and chronic stage) using 1.5-T system. Three-dimensional reconstructions of the fiber tracts were obtained with FA <0.2, angle >45 degrees as termination criteria.


RESULTS
In all patients, the motor function of the affected upper extremity has recovered to be functional state at second DTT scanning. The motor tracts of the affected hemisphere were observed to pass along the posterior portion of the CR infarct on both the first and second DTT.


CONCLUSIONS
It seems that the motor function of the affected upper extremity of the patients recovered via the posterior portion of infarct. This finding may reflect functional reorganization of the motor pathway following damage to the corticospinal tract.
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Taegu, Republic of Korea.
Yong-Hyun
YH
Kwon
Chu-Hee
CH
Lee
Sang Ho
SH
Ahn
Mi Young
MY
Lee
Dong Suk
DS
Yang
Woo Mok
WM
Byun
Ji-Won
JW
Park
Sung Ho
SH
Jang
D000368:Aged; D001132:Arm / Q000503:physiopathology; D020520:Brain Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020772:Internal Capsule; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D010291:Paresis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors