Reemergence of activation with poststroke somatosensory recovery: A serial fMRI case study

• Published in: Neurology Vol. 59; no. 5; pp. 749 - 752
• Main Authors: CAREY, L. M, ABBOTT, D. F, PUCE, A, JACKSON, G. D, SYNGENIOTIS, A, DONNAN, G. A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 10-09-2002
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical sciences; Neurology; Neuronal Plasticity; Recovery of Function; Somatosensory Cortex - physiology; Stroke - pathology; Stroke - physiopathology; Touch; Tropical medicine; Vascular diseases and vascular malformations of the nervous system; Human; Sensitivity disorder; Nervous system diseases; Stroke; Motor system disorder; Cardiovascular disease; Male; Activation; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Cerebral disorder; Vascular disease; Case study; Somatosensory cortex; Central nervous system disease; Medical imagery; Adult; Evolution; Neurological disorder; Cerebrovascular disease; Functional imaging
• ISSN: 0028-3878; 1526-632X
• DOI: 10.1212/WNL.59.5.749

The authors demonstrate the potential for poststroke return of activation in regions normally involved in touch discrimination in a serial, whole-brain fMRI study of a patient with marked sensory loss followed by good recovery. A return of activation in ipsilesional primary and bilateral secondary somatosensory cortices was observed at 3 months after stroke and was maintained at 6 months, indicating a reemergence of activation after the interval of somatosensory recovery. There was little evidence of neural plastic changes early after stroke (2 weeks), when sensory loss was severe.