title: Increased spontaneous neuronal activity in structurally damaged cortex is correlated with early motor recovery in patients with subcortical infarction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Secondary cortical thinning and volumetric atrophy in the motor-related cortex can inhibit early functional recovery after subcortical infarction. However, the relationship between the spontaneous neuronal activity in these cortices and motor recovery in patients with focal cerebral infarct remains unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and resting-state functional MRI were conducted 1, 4 and 12 weeks after onset in 22 patients with an acute subcortical infarct and in 22 normal subjects. Group differences in cortical thickness and in the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) in motor-related areas were evaluated, and the relationships between ALFF, cortical thickness changes and changes in the Fugl-Meyer scores of physical performance were further analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In patients with subcortical infarction, progressively decreasing cortical thickness was found over the observation period ipsilesionally in the primary motor cortex (PMC), supplementary motor cortex (SMC) and precuneus (all P < 0.05). Contralesionally, progressive increases in cortical thickness were detected in SMC and insula (all P < 0.05). Increases in ALFF were observed only in PMC (bilaterally) and only at 12 weeks after stroke (all P < 0.05). The cortical thickness changes in the contralesional SMC (rs = 0.483, P = 0.023) and the ALFF changes in bilateral PMC (ipsilesional, rs = 0.51, P = 0.015; contralesional, rs = 0.463, P = 0.03) were positively correlated with changes in the Fugl-Meyer scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that increased spontaneous neuronal activity of the PMC, a region structurally damaged secondarily to ischaemic lesion, may contribute to early motor recovery in patients with subcortical infarction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Imaging Diagnosis and Interventional Center, Cancer Center of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Imaging Diagnosis and Interventional Center, Cancer Center of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation; cortical thickness; functional reorganization; motor recovery; subcortical infarction