Corticospinal Fibers With Different Origins Impact Motor Outcome and Brain After Subcortical Stroke

Motor deficit is the most common disability after stroke, and early prediction of motor outcome is critical for early interventions. Here, we constructed a fine map of the corticospinal tract (CST) for early prediction of motor outcome and for understanding the secondary brain changes after subcortical stroke.

Diffusion spectrum imaging data from 50 healthy adults were used to reconstruct fine maps of CST with different origins, including primary motor area (M1), primary sensory area (S1), premotor cortex, and supplementary motor area (SMA). Their diffusion properties correlated with motor functions in healthy adults. The impacts of the impairments of different CST on motor outcomes and on structural and functional changes of brain were investigated in 136 patients with subcortical stroke by combining CST damage-symptom association study and voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping.

In healthy adults, the isotropy of M1 fiber correlated with walking endurance and that of SMA fiber with motor dexterity. In chronic stroke patients, the integrity of M1 and SMA fibers showed the most significant correlation with motor deficits. The percentage of early damage of M1 and SMA fibers correlated with that of chronic motor deficits. Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping revealed that acute stroke lesions in the bilateral M1 and right SMA fibers were associated with chronic motor deficits. The early damage of M1 fiber negatively correlated with the integrity of M1-M1 fiber, and the early damage of SMA fiber negatively correlated with gray matter volume of the contralateral cerebellum in the chronic stage.

The CST that originated from the M1 and SMA are closely associated with motor outcomes and brain structural changes, and the fine maps of CST from these 2 cortical areas are useful in assessing and predicting long-term motor outcome in patients with subcortical stroke.