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Updated: Jan 27, 2026

Author Spotlight: Using Motor Imagery Brain-Computer Interface to Improve Motor and Cognitive Function in Stroke Patients
Published on: September 1, 2023
How does upper extremity Fugl-Meyer motor score relate to resting-state EEG in chronic stroke? A power spectral
M Saes1, C G M Meskers2, A Daffertshofer3
1Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, de Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Objective:
We investigated the potential added value of high-density resting-state EEG by addressing differences with healthy individuals and associations with Fugl-Meyer motor assessment of the upper extremity (FM-UE) scores in chronic stroke.
Methods:
Twenty-one chronic stroke survivors with initial upper limb paresis and eleven matched controls were included. Group differences regarding resting-state EEG parameters (Delta Alpha ratio (DAR) and pairwise-derived Brain Symmetry Index (BSI)) and associations with FM-UE were investigated, as well as lateralization of BSI and the value of different frequency bands.
Results:
Chronic stroke survivors showed higher BSI compared to controls (p < 0.001), most pronounced in delta and theta frequency bands (p < 0.0001; p < 0.001). In the delta and theta band, BSI was significantly negatively associated with FM-UE (both p = 0.008) corrected for confounding factors. DAR showed no differences between groups nor association with FM-UE. Directional BSI showed increased power in the affected versus the unaffected hemisphere.
Conclusions:
Asymmetry in spectral power between hemispheres was present in chronic stroke, most pronounced in low frequencies and related to upper extremity motor function deficit.
Significance:
BSI is related to motor impairment and higher in chronic stroke patients compared to healthy controls, suggesting that BSI may be a marker of selective motor control.
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