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Published on: June 30, 2021
Corticospinal tract integrity and motor function following neonatal stroke: a case study.
Anne L Gordon1, Amanda Wood, Jacques Donald Tournier
1Evelina Children’s Hospital, Guys’ & St Thomas’ Hospital NHS Trust, London, UK.
BMC Neurology
|July 11, 2012
Summary
Neonatal stroke can preserve corticospinal pathways for hand function. Advanced MRI techniques show pathway reorganization in the affected hemisphere, aiding recovery understanding.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neuroscience
- Pediatric Neurology
Background:
- Neonatal stroke impacts motor development.
- Advanced MRI techniques offer new insights into brain pathways.
- Understanding corticospinal tract reorganization is crucial for recovery.
Observation:
- Case study of an 11-year-old boy with neonatal right middle cerebral artery stroke.
- Functional MRI (fMRI) revealed cortical activation during hand tasks.
- Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography visualized white matter pathways.
Findings:
- fMRI showed ipsilesional (right hemisphere) cortical activation for the hemiparetic (left) hand.
- DTI tractography identified perilesional pathways in the lesioned hemisphere.
- The brain reorganized corticospinal pathways despite the neonatal stroke.
Implications:
- Neonatal stroke allows for some maintenance of corticospinal organization.
- fMRI and DTI tractography can monitor neuroplasticity and recovery.
- These techniques may guide interventions for post-stroke motor function.
