Post-Stroke Corticomuscular Coupling Assessment Based on Bilateral Cerebral Hemisphere Difference.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Corticomuscular coupling (CMC) quantifies brain-muscle information exchange during motor control.
• Existing research on CMC changes post-stroke is inconsistent, necessitating refined assessment methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a novel indicator, CMCdif, for assessing motor function after stroke.
• To investigate changes in CMC, specifically WCdif and TSEdif, in stroke patients compared to healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Employed wavelet coherence (WCdif) and transfer spectral entropy (TSEdif) analyses to derive CMCdif.
• Recruited 12 stroke patients and 12 healthy controls performing upper limb isokinetic push-pull movements.
• Developed a motor function assessment model based on CMCdif indices.

Main Results:

• WCdif was significantly higher in stroke patients than in controls.
• TSEdif was elevated in stroke patients on the efferent pathway but showed no difference on the afferent pathway.
• The developed CMCdif-based motor function model demonstrated a strong correlation with clinical assessments (R²=0.873, p=0.003).

Conclusions:

• The novel CMCdif indicator, combining linear and nonlinear measures, provides valuable insights into CMC alterations post-stroke.
• This approach enhances the potential for clinical motor function assessment in stroke rehabilitation.
• Findings contribute to a better understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying motor control deficits after stroke.