Cortical reorganization associated with motor recovery in hemiparetic stroke patients

We investigated the cortical activation changes associated with motor recovery in eight hemiparetic patients with cerebral infarct by using functional MRI (fMRI), which was performed at 1.5 T in parallel with finger flexion-extension movements at a fixed rate. The first fMRI was performed when the patient was able to flex and extend fingers of the affected hand against gravity, and the second fMRI was done when the motor function of the affected hand showed definite improvement. The main cortical activation changes that occurred with motor recovery were an increment in the affected and a decrement in the unaffected primary sensori-motor cortex (SMC) activities. In conclusion, it seems that cortical reorganization occurred in parallel with motor recovery in hemiparetic patients with cerebral infarct.