Changes of cortical activity in motor recovery after stroke

Objective:To observe the changes of cortical activity in motor recovery of upper limb after stroke and the relationship between motor recovery and cortical activity changes.Method:60cerebral infarction patients with upper limb paralysis were divided into rehabilitative group(35cases)and drug treatment group(25cases).20normal subjects were considered as controls.Before rehabilitation and2week and1month after-therapy the cerebral blood velocities of bilateral middle cerebral arteries(MCA)were synchronously evaluated with TCD during passive elbow movement and an upper limb evaluation were performed with Fugl-Meyer.Result:Significant increases of cerebral blood velocity were found in the contralateral MCA in control.In both rehabilitation group and drug treatment group the increases were in bilateral MCA.The velocity increases in ipsilateral MCA reduced at2week and1month in drug treatment group,which results were significantly slower than that before rehabilitation,but in rehabilitation group the velocity increase in ipsilateral MCA were sustained.The Fugl-Meyer scale of upper limb was correlative negatively with increase of ipsilateral MCA velocity in drug treatment group,and positively with bilateral MCA velocity increase in rehabilitation group.Conclusion:Rehabilitative training can improve the effect of motor recovery after stroke and may associate with recruitments of cortical area.