Longitudinal Cortical Volume Changes Correlate With Motor Recovery in Patients After Acute Local Subcortical Infarction

• Published in: Stroke (1970) 2013-10, Vol.44 (10), p.2795-2801
• Main Authors: Dang, Chao, Liu, Gang, Xing, Shihui, Xie, Chuanmiao, Peng, Kangqiang, Li, Chuo, Li, Jingjing, Zhang, Jian, Chen, Li, Pei, Zhong, Zeng, Jinsheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Cerebral Infarction - diagnostic imaging; Cerebral Infarction - physiopathology; Female; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Motor Activity; Motor Cortex - diagnostic imaging; Motor Cortex - physiopathology; Nervous system; Neurology; Radiodiagnosis. Nmr imagery. Nmr spectrometry; Radiography; Recovery of Function; Ultrasonography; Vascular diseases and vascular malformations of the nervous system
• ISSN: 0039-2499; 1524-4628
• DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.113.000971

Secondary changes in the volume of motor-related cortical regions and the relationship with functional recovery during the acute stage after cerebral infarction have not been determined. In the present study, we quantified changes in gray matter (GM) volume in motor-related cortical regions and analyzed their correlations to clinical scores in patients with focal cerebral infarct. Fifteen patients with acute subcortical infarct underwent longitudinal high-resolution structural MRI and clinical assessment 3 times during a 12-week period (weeks 1, 4, and 12). Fourteen age- and sex-matched controls underwent MRI examination. Voxel-based morphometry was used to quantify changes in global GM volume; in addition, relationships between GM volume changes in volumes of interest and clinical scores were analyzed. In patients with cerebral infarction, GM volumes detected by voxel-based morphometry both decreased and increased significantly in diffuse cortical regions during the observation period (P