The pattern of motor deficits in relation to the site of stroke lesions

Thirty-two patients with hemispheric stroke lesions of distinct cortical functional zones (premotor, precentral, parietal) or of striatocapsular or striatothalamic subcortical territories were scored at the acute and chronic stage for the following sensorimotor arm-hand functions: force, praxis, motor attention, sensation and dexterity. The selection criterion was that in spite of the wide variation of lesion sites all patients had hemiparesis as the presenting clinical sign. Analysis of the scores showed that most patients showed apraxia, motor neglect or disturbed sensation in addition to hemiparesis. The distribution and severity of these deficits varied, so that different lesion groups showed different patterns. The actual functional impairment of arm-hand function was determined by the combined effect of these different sensorimotor dysfunctions.