title: Thalamic Reorganization in Chronic Patients With Intracerebral Hemorrhage: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate changes of synaptic area of the spinothalamic tract and its thalamocortical pathway (STT) in the thalamus in chronic patients with putaminal hemorrhage.Twenty four patients with a lesion in the ventral posterior lateral nucleus (VPL) of the thalamus following putaminal hemorrhage were recruited for this study. The subscale for tactile sensation of the Nottingham Sensory Assessment (NSA) was used for the determination of somatosensory function. Diffusion tensor tractography of the STT was reconstructed using the Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain Software Library. We classified patients according to 2 groups: the VPL group, patients whose STTs were synapsed in the VPL; and the non-VPL group, patients whose STTs were synapsed in other thalamic areas, except for the VPL.Thirteen patients belonged to the VPL group, and 8 patients belonged to the non-VPL group. Three patients were excluded from grouping due to interrupted integrity of the STTs. The tactile sensation score of the NSA in the non-VPL group (10.50 ± 0.93) was significantly decreased compared with that of the VPL group (19.45 ± 1.33) (P < 0.05).We found that 2 types of patient had recovered via the VPL area or other areas of the STT. It appears that patients who showed shifting of the thalamic synaptic area of the STT might have recovered by the process of thalamic reorganization following thalamic injury. In addition, thalamic reorganization appears to be related to poorer somatosensory outcome.
authors: From the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (SHJ); Departments of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University (CHC, SHK, YJJ); and Department of Physical Therapy, Sun Moon University, Asan-si, Chungnam, Republic of Korea (JHH).
authors: Sung Ho
authors: SH
authors: Jang
authors: Chul Hoon
authors: CH
authors: Chang
authors: Seong Ho
authors: SH
authors: Kim
authors: Young Jin
authors: YJ
authors: Jung
authors: Ji Heon
authors: JH
authors: Hong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D020146:Putaminal Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013133:Spinothalamic Tracts / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013569:Synapses / Q000473:pathology; D013788:Thalamus / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology