title: Constraint-induced movement therapy promotes brain functional reorganization in stroke patients with hemiplegia.
abstract: Stroke patients with hemiplegia exhibit flexor spasms in the upper limb and extensor spasms in the lower limb, and their movement patterns vary greatly. Constraint-induced movement therapy is an upper limb rehabilitation technique used in stroke patients with hemiplegia; however, studies of lower extremity rehabilitation are scarce. In this study, stroke patients with lower limb hemiplegia underwent conventional Bobath therapy for 4 weeks as baseline treatment, followed by constraint-induced movement therapy for an additional 4 weeks. The 10-m maximum walking speed and Berg balance scale scores significantly improved following treatment, and lower extremity motor function also improved. The results of functional MRI showed that constraint-induced movement therapy alleviates the reduction in cerebral functional activation in patients, which indicates activation of functional brain regions and a significant increase in cerebral blood perfusion. These results demonstrate that constraint-induced movement therapy promotes brain functional reorganization in stroke patients with lower limb hemiplegia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical College, Chengde 067000, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Wenqing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Tomography, Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical College, Chengde 067000, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Aihui
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Chengde Nursing Vocational College, Chengde 067000, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Limin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer & Information Engineering, Chengde Petroleum College, Chengde 067000, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Xuesong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical College, Chengde 067000, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Guiyun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, General Hospital of Chinese PLA, Beijing 100853, China.
authors.forename: Changshui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical College, Chengde 067000, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Hongwei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical College, Chengde 067000, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Zhiqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
keywords: Berg balance scale; central nervous injury; constraint-induced movement therapy; functional MRI; lower extremity; maximum walking speed; neural regeneration; neuroimaging; regeneration; stroke