Evaluating interhemispheric synchronization and cortical activity in acute stroke patients using optical hemodynamic...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Understanding interhemispheric functional asymmetry is vital for designing effective post-stroke rehabilitation programs.
• Acute ischemic stroke impacts brain function, necessitating methods to assess recovery and asymmetry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate interhemispheric synchronization and cortical activity in acute stroke patients.
• To assess functional brain changes at different stroke severities and stages post-stroke.

Main Methods:

• Utilized multichannel near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), supplementary motor area (SMA), and sensorimotor cortex (SMC).
• Employed interhemispheric correlation coefficient (IHCC) and wavelet phase coherence (WPCO) to quantify interhemispheric synchronization.
• Assessed cortical activation via oxyhemoglobin changes during resting-state and speed finger-tapping tasks at week-1 and week-3 post-stroke.

Main Results:

• Severe stroke patients exhibited significantly lower IHCC and WPCO values at low frequencies compared to minor stroke patients at week-3.
• In moderate-severe stroke patients at week-1, affected hemisphere cortical activation was significantly lower than the unaffected hemisphere across all measured regions.
• Sensorimotor cortex (SMC) activation in the affected hemisphere showed significant enhancement by week-3 post-stroke.

Conclusions:

• Non-invasive NIRS can dynamically assess resting-state synchronization (IHCC, WPCO) and motor task-related hemodynamic changes in acute stroke patients.
• Findings indicate NIRS is a potential tool for early stroke assessment and monitoring rehabilitation efficacy.