Functional Connectivity Density in Patients with Left Basal Ganglia Ischemic Stroke: A Comparative Study.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neurology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Left basal ganglia ischemic stroke (LBGIS) significantly impacts motor function.
• Understanding brain functional changes post-stroke is crucial for rehabilitation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate alterations in brain functional activity in LBGIS patients.
• To identify specific brain regions associated with motor function deficits and recovery.

Main Methods:

• Compared functional connectivity density (FCD) between 35 LBGIS patients and 34 healthy controls (HCs).
• Utilized receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves for region specificity analysis.
• Employed Pearson's correlation to link FCD values with clinical motor scores.

Main Results:

• LBGIS patients showed altered FCD in multiple brain regions, including increased activity in the left cerebellum 9 lobe (L_C9) and right supplementary motor area (R_SMA).
• Decreased FCD was observed in regions such as the left calcarine sulcus and right inferior frontal gyrus.
• L_C9 and R_SMA demonstrated significant correlations with motor function assessments (Fugl-Meyer, Barthel index).

Conclusions:

• LBGIS is associated with widespread changes in brain functional activity.
• The L_C9 and R_SMA are identified as key areas potentially involved in motor function recovery for LBGIS patients.