Changes of the corticospinal tract in the unaffected hemisphere in stroke patients: A diffusion tensor imaging study

We investigated changes of the corticospinal tract (CST) in the unaffected hemisphere according to severity of the CST injury, using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). According to the severity of the CST injury in the affected hemisphere, the stroke patients showed different aspects of fiber volume increment of the CST in the unaffected hemisphere; the fiber volume was increased in the early phase in patients with mild injury of CST and later phase in patients with severe injury of CST.     

运动想象的脑机制及其在运动功能康复中应用的研究进展

运动想象对大脑相关功能有明显的改善作用,目前正在大量应用于运动训练和康复治疗领域.近年来随着诸如功能磁共振等成像工具的出现,神经成像的复杂程度得到了不断提高,从而推动了人们对运动想象的脑机制尤其是涉及多脑区之间的协同作用机制的认识逐步深入.针对运动想象的多脑区之间相互协作机制及运动想象在运动功能康复中的应用作了详细介绍.     

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation for skeletal muscle function

Lack of neural innervation due to neurological damage renders muscle unable to produce force. Use of electrical stimulation is a medium in which investigators have tried to find a way to restore movement and the ability to perform activities of daily living. Different methods of applying electrical current to modify neuromuscular activity are electrical stimulation (ES), neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), and functional electrical stimulation (FES). This review covers the aspects of electrical stimulation used for rehabilitation and functional purposes. Discussed are the various parameters of electrical stimulation, including frequency, pulse width/duration, duty cycle, intensity/amplitude, ramp time, pulse pattern, program duration, program frequency, and muscle group activated, and how they affect fatigue in the stimulated muscle.     

血栓通配合康复训练对缺血性脑卒中恢复期患者肢体康复的疗效

目的:探究血栓通配合康复训练对缺血性脑卒中(cerebral arterial thrombosis,CAT)恢复期患者肢体康复的疗效情况。方法:选取2011年3月-2013年3月我院收治的84例CAT患者按数字表法随机分为观察组和对照组,各42例。对照组单纯采用康复训练治疗,观察组在对照组康复训练的基础上服用血栓通配合治疗,分别观察治疗前、治疗后1个月、3个月、6个月的各项基本指标并对比研究。结果:两组患者治疗前和治疗1月后Barthel评分无明显差异(P0.05);观察组治疗后3、6个月Barthel评分显著高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05),两组患者治疗前和治疗1月后肢体Fugl-Meyer评分无明显差异(P0.05);观察组治疗后3、6个月肢体Fugl-Meyer评分显著高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05),且对照组出院时上肢依然未完全恢复。通过对对照组和观察组患者的生活质量评分比较,观察组生活质量的各项评分均明显高于对照组,两组比较差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:对缺血性脑卒中恢复期患者采用血栓通药物配合适当的康复训练疗效较好,术后肢体恢复理想,值得作为治疗CAT的首选方法在临床上推广应用。     

Short-term recovery of benthos following disturbance from stream habitat rehabilitation

The recovery of benthic macroinvertebrates after disturbance from stream rehabilitation was studied in the River Livojoki, northern Finland. The stream that had been channelized for log transport was rehabilitated on 1 July 1992 by digging holes and inserting boulders. We measured habitat characteristics and sampled benthic animals before and after rehabilitation, including an unrehabilitated control site. The immediate effect of rehabilitation was a slight decrease in the abundances of benthic insects. Recolonization occurred rapidly, within 10 days. Disturbance of the rehabilitation did not have a detectable effect on the macroinvertebrate community. Most species-level changes and community patterns reflected seasonal life history events. Timing of such rehabilitation work can be critical for the recovery rate, which depends on the colonization abilities of the species present after disturbance. We suggest that many disturbances (including minor floods and moderate rehabilitation procedures) may have only small, short-term effects on benthic communities. We emphasize the importance of considering seasonality in studies of disturbance in streams.     

慢性疼痛治疗的研究进展

慢性疼痛是临床常见的病症,给患者和社会都带来极大的负担。其发病机制受生理、心理和社会等多种因素的影响较为复杂,因此,慢性疼痛的治疗一直是临床上的一大难题。单一的治疗手段往往不能取得令人满意的效果,目前常采用多手段联合的方式来治疗慢性疼痛,常见的包括药物治疗、心理治疗、介入治疗以及自我管理等。针对不同类型的慢性疼痛甚至同一类型的不同病人其治疗方案也不尽相同,近年来兴起的跨学科康复计划为慢性疼痛的治疗指明了方向。本文就慢性疼痛治疗的研究进展进行了综述,以期为临床实践提供更多参考和理论依据。     

Ultrasonographic and electrophysiologic evaluation of median and ulnar nerves in chronic stroke patients with upper extremity spasticity

Objective: To evaluate the upper extremity nerves of stroke patients morphologically and electrophysiologically and to determine whether there is a relationship between clinical evaluations, ultrasonographic measurements, and electrodiagnostic findings.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 30 chronic stroke patients. After recording demographical data, clinical, ultrasonographic, and electrophysiological evaluations were performed. Clinical evaluations included Brunnstrom Recovery Stages (BRS), Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), Motricity index (MI), Functional Independence Measurement (FIM), and Functional Ambulation Scale (FAS). For ultrasonographic measurements, median and ulnar nerves were scanned. Median and ulnar nerve conduction studies were performed bilaterally.

Results: Mean ages of the patients were 62.2?±?13.0 years (range 24–84 years; 22 males, 8 females). There was no significant difference in median/ulnar nerve ultrasonographic measurements between paretic and non-paretic sides (p?>?.05), whereas median nerve motor conduction velocity was significantly slower and median nerve F-wave latency was prolonged on the paretic side (p?<?.05). The median and ulnar nerve compound motor action potential (CMAP) amplitudes of paretic sides were positively correlated with lower extremity BRS and FAS scores. Median CMAP amplitudes were also positively correlated with FIM scores and ulnar CMAP amplitudes were positively correlated with motricity scores. Moreover, on the paretic side, there were positive correlations of median SNAP amplitudes with FIM and FAS scores (p?<?.05).

Conclusions: Our results showed electrophysiological changes in peripheral nerves on the paretic upper extremities, however, no morphological change was determined. Further studies with larger number of patients and longer follow-up periods are needed to clarify the effect of stroke and spasticity on the peripheral nervous system.     

Stimulating the Lip Motor Cortex with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has proven to be a useful tool in investigating the role of the articulatory motor cortex in speech perception. Researchers have used single-pulse and repetitive TMS to stimulate the lip representation in the motor cortex. The excitability of the lip motor representation can be investigated by applying single TMS pulses over this cortical area and recording TMS-induced motor evoked potentials (MEPs) via electrodes attached to the lip muscles (electromyography; EMG). Larger MEPs reflect increased cortical excitability. Studies have shown that excitability increases during listening to speech as well as during viewing speech-related movements. TMS can be used also to disrupt the lip motor representation. A 15-min train of low-frequency sub-threshold repetitive stimulation has been shown to suppress motor excitability for a further 15-20 min. This TMS-induced disruption of the motor lip representation impairs subsequent performance in demanding speech perception tasks and modulates auditory-cortex responses to speech sounds. These findings are consistent with the suggestion that the motor cortex contributes to speech perception. This article describes how to localize the lip representation in the motor cortex and how to define the appropriate stimulation intensity for carrying out both single-pulse and repetitive TMS experiments.