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Updated: Feb 10, 2026

A Versatile Murine Model of Subcortical White Matter Stroke for the Study of Axonal Degeneration and White Matter Neurobiology
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Relation of white matter hyperintensities and motor deficits in chronic stroke

Jarrod M Hicks1, Edward Taub1, Brent Womble1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.

Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience
|May 22, 2018
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

White matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume significantly predicts upper extremity motor deficits after stroke. However, other factors, potentially behavioral, explain the majority of motor impairment.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Neurology
  • Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

  • Stroke-related motor impairment is not solely explained by infarct size and location.
  • Other contributing factors to motor deficits require investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationship between white matter hyperintensity (WMH) load and upper extremity motor deficits in chronic stroke patients.
  • To assess the predictive value of WMH volume and its overlap with the corticospinal tract on motor function.

Main Methods:

  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to assess WMH load in 28 chronic stroke patients.
  • WMH volume and overlap with the corticospinal tract were quantified.
  • Upper extremity function was measured using the Motor Activity Log (MAL) and Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT).

Main Results:

  • WMH volume significantly predicted real-world arm use (MAL) and laboratory-measured arm capacity (WMFT), independent of age and lesion characteristics.
  • WMH explained a portion of the variance in motor deficits (ΔR² = 0.12 for MAL, ΔR² = 0.18 for WMFT).
  • These structural factors accounted for less than half of the total variance in post-stroke motor deficits.

Conclusions:

  • White matter hyperintensities are a significant factor in stroke-related upper extremity motor impairment.
  • The majority of post-stroke motor deficits remain unexplained by current structural neuroimaging factors.
  • Behavioral or learned components, such as learned nonuse, may contribute significantly to persistent motor deficits.
Keywords:
MRIStrokehemiparesismotor deficitsupper extremitywhite matter hyperintensities

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