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Resting State Functional Connectivity Is Associated With Motor Pathway Integrity and Upper-Limb Behavior in Chronic
Brenton Hordacre1, Mitchell R Goldsworthy2, Ellana Welsby1
1University of South Australia, IIMPACT in Health, Adelaide, Australia.
Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair
|May 22, 2020
Summary
Resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) in stroke survivors is linked to motor pathway integrity and upper-limb function. Higher interhemispheric RSFC correlated with better motor behavior, especially when descending motor pathways remained intact.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) is crucial for stroke recovery.
- Understanding how RSFC relates to motor pathway integrity and function is a priority.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in RSFC based on descending motor pathway integrity in stroke survivors.
- To assess the association between RSFC and upper-limb motor behavior in chronic stroke.
- To examine if the relationship between interhemispheric RSFC and upper-limb behavior varies with descending motor pathway integrity.
Main Methods:
- Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to estimate RSFC in 36 stroke survivors and 25 healthy adults.
- Descending motor pathway integrity was assessed via transcranial magnetic stimulation (motor-evoked potentials) and MRI (lesion overlap, corticospinal tract fractional anisotropy).
- Upper-limb motor behavior was quantified using Fugl-Meyer, Action Research Arm Test, and grip strength.
Main Results:
- Stroke survivors with preserved motor-evoked potentials (MEP+) showed greater beta-frequency interhemispheric sensorimotor RSFC than MEP- participants.
- Beta-frequency RSFC positively correlated with upper-limb motor behavior, particularly in the MEP+ group.
- Beta-frequency RSFC explained additional variance in upper-limb behavior beyond corticospinal tract integrity measures.
Conclusions:
- EEG-based interhemispheric network activity provides insights into chronic stroke recovery.
- Resting state interhemispheric connectivity is positively associated with upper-limb function in stroke survivors with maintained descending motor pathways.
