Brain-movement relationship during upper-limb functional movements in chronic post-stroke patients

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Science
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Stroke recovery involves brain reorganization, compensatory strategies, and motor performance changes.
• Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalography (fEEG) measure brain activity via hemodynamic and electrical signals, respectively.
• Simultaneous fNIRS-fEEG during movement aids spatiotemporal brain mapping and understanding upper limb (UL) recovery mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To map motor cortical activity using combined fNIRS-fEEG.
• To investigate the relationship between brain activity, motor performance, and compensatory strategies in chronic stroke patients during UL tasks.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-one chronic stroke patients and 21 healthy adults performed standardized UL tasks (reaching, circular steering).
• Simultaneous recording of bilateral motor cortex activity via fNIRS-fEEG and kinematic parameters.
• Assessment of motor performance and compensatory movements (e.g., trunk usage).

Main Results:

• Stroke patients exhibited poorer performance in the circular steering task and increased trunk compensation in both tasks.
• Individuals with stroke showed over-activation in bilateral motor cortices during paretic UL reaching.
• This over-activation correlated with greater trunk usage and higher clinical impairment scores.

Conclusions:

• Combined fNIRS-fEEG and kinematics reveal altered motor control and compensatory strategies in chronic stroke.
• Stroke patients exhibit compensatory trunk movements and distinct brain activation patterns.
• This multimodal approach offers potential for enhanced tracking and understanding of stroke rehabilitation.