Prediction of Motor Recovery after Subacute Cerebral Infarction: Role of Corticocerebellar Pathway Integrity

BackgroundThe cerebellar cortex has gradually become a promising therapeutic target for improving motor recovery post-cerebral infarction, potentially dependent on the structural integrity of motor-related corticocerebellar pathways (CCP). However, the relationship between the imaging markers of motor-related CCP and motor prognosis remains inadequately explored. Utilizing diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), this study aims to longitudinally assess the role of motor-related CCP in predicting motor recovery for both upper and lower extremities following cerebral infarction.MethodsTwenty-nine patients with right middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction underwent 2 DTI scans 7 to 14 and 30 days after onset, and 29 age-sex matched controls received 1 scan. Fractional anisotropy (FA) values were measured for corticospinal tract (CST) and CCP (cortico-pontocerebellar tract, CPCT; dentate-thalamocortical tract, DTCT; dorsal-spinocerebellar tract, DSCT). Multivariate regression analyses were performed to examine the relationships between DTI parameters and Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA).ResultsCompared to the control group, FA and FA asymmetry index (FA-AI) of CST, DTCT, and DSCT on the affected side were significantly reduced. In the linear regression model, the decreased FA-AI of DTCT was a strong predictor for upper FMA (R²_adj = 0.271, P = .022), while the FA-AI of DSCT independently predicted lower limb FMA (R²_adj = 0.400, P = .019).ConclusionsIn patients of MCA infarction, FA-AI of motor-related CCP may be a valuable imaging indicator for predicting motor outcomes. The DTI-assessed structural integrity of the cerebellar ascending fiber tracts (DTCT and DSCT) may correlate with the motor recovery of the upper and lower extremities, respectively.