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Determining the Functional Status of the Corticospinal Tract Within One Week of Stroke
Published on: February 22, 2020
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Subacute functional connectivity correlates with cognitive recovery six months after stroke
Jéssica Elias Vicentini1, Marina Weiler2, Raphael Fernandes Casseb3
1Brazilian Institute of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology - Brainn, Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medical Sciences - University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil.
Neuroimage. Clinical
|January 1, 2021
Summary
Stroke impacts brain network connectivity, affecting cognitive function. Early connectivity patterns in the Default Mode Network (DMN) and Salience Network (SN) predict cognitive recovery six months post-stroke.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Stroke frequently causes cognitive impairment, with brain circuit rewiring potentially aiding recovery.
- Limited research exists on how functional connectivity changes over time and relates to cognitive recovery in stroke survivors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between resting-state functional connectivity and cognitive performance in stroke patients.
- To determine if alterations in brain networks correlate with cognitive recovery post-stroke.
Main Methods:
- Utilized fMRI ROI-ROI analysis to compare functional connectivity in Default Mode (DMN), Salience (SN), and Central Executive Networks (CEN).
- Assessed subacute ischemic stroke patients (n=37) and healthy controls (n=20) at two time points: early post-stroke and six months later.
Main Results:
- Early post-stroke, patients showed weaker interhemispheric DMN connectivity; better cognition correlated with stronger ipsilesional DMN and weaker contralesional SN connectivity.
- No significant changes in functional connectivity were observed between the two time points in stroke patients.
- Cognitive recovery was linked to stronger DMN connectivity and weaker interhemispheric SN connectivity at the early time point.
Conclusions:
- Stroke disrupts DMN functional connectivity within and between hemispheres.
- Network remapping was not detected six months post-stroke.
- Early DMN and SN connectivity patterns are crucial indicators for predicting post-stroke cognitive recovery.
