Neural Substrates of Motor Recovery in Severely Impaired Stroke Patients With Hand Paralysis

We report that interhemispheric inhibition, stronger in the paretic triceps than biceps brachii muscles, significantly correlated with the magnitude of residual impairment (lower Fugl-Meyer scores). In contrast, intracortical inhibition in the paretic biceps brachii, but not in the triceps, correlated positively with motor recovery (Fugl-Meyer scores) and negatively with spasticity (lower Modified Ashworth scores). Our results suggest that interhemispheric inhibition and intracortical inhibition of paretic upper arm muscles relate to motor recovery in different ways. While interhemispheric inhibition may contribute to poorer recovery, muscle-specific intracortical inhibition may relate to successful motor recovery and lesser spasticity.
Source: Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Clinical Research Articles Source Type: research