title: Contribution of the pedunculopontine nucleus on walking in stroke patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We attempted to investigate changes of the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) according to walking ability in chronic stroke patients, using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
  
  
  METHODS
  55 consecutive chronic stroke patients who were not able to walk due to injury of the corticospinal tract (CST) at stroke onset and 22 age-matched normal control subjects were recruited. We measured the values of fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the PPN and assessed the walking ability of each patient.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In patients who were able to walk independently, the FA value of the PPN in the affected hemisphere was increased without change of the ADC value (p < 0.05). Increase of the FA value was positively correlated with the degree of walking ability (p < 0.05). In contrast, the ADC value was increased in the affected hemisphere of patients who could not walk, without change of the FA value (p < 0.05). This increase of the ADC value was negatively correlated with the degree of walking ability (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that the neuronal activity of the PPN in the affected hemisphere was increased in stroke patients who were able to walk independently. Therefore, we think that the PPN in the affected hemisphere contributed to walking ability in stroke patients with CST injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Science, Graduate School, Daegu University, Taegu, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Seok
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Yeo
authors.forename: Sang Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Byung Yeon
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Chul Hoon
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sung Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001931:Brain Mapping; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D045042:Pedunculopontine Tegmental Nucleus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*