| 1. |
- Artzi, M., et al.
(author)
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Cortical reorganization following injury early in life
- 2016
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In: Neural Plasticity. - : Hindawi Publishing Corporation. - 2090-5904 .- 1687-5443.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The brain has a remarkable capacity for reorganization following injury, especially during the first years of life. Knowledge of structural reorganization and its consequences following perinatal injury is sparse. Here we studied changes in brain tissue volume, morphology, perfusion, and integrity in children with hemiplegia compared to typically developing children, using MRI. Children with hemiplegia demonstrated reduced total cerebral volume, with increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and reduced total white matter volumes, with no differences in total gray matter volume, compared to typically developing children. An increase in cortical thickness at the hemisphere contralateral to the lesion (CLH) was detected in motor and language areas, which may reflect compensation for the gray matter loss in the lesion area or retention of ipsilateral pathways. In addition, reduced cortical thickness, perfusion, and surface area were detected in limbic areas. Increased CSF volume and precentral cortical thickness and reduced white matter volume were correlated with worse motor performance. Brain reorganization of the gray matter within the CLH, while not necessarily indicating better outcome, is suggested as a response to neuronal deficits following injury early in life.
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| 2. |
- Schertz, M., et al.
(author)
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Imaging Predictors of Improvement from a Motor Learning-Based Intervention for Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy
- 2016
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In: Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair. - : Sage Publications. - 1545-9683 .- 1552-6844. ; 30:7, s. 647-660
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background:Motor-learning interventions may improve hand function in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP) but with inconsistent outcomes across participants. Objective. To examine if pre-intervention brain imaging predicts benefit from bimanual intervention.Method:Twenty children with UCP with Manual Ability Classification System levels I to III, aged 7-16 years, participated in an intensive bimanual intervention. Assessments included the Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA), Jebsen Taylor Test of Hand Function (JTTHF) and Children's Hand Experience Questionnaire (CHEQ) at baseline (T1), completion (T2) and 8-10 weeks post-intervention (T3). Imaging at baseline included conventional structural (radiological score), functional (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).Results:Improvements were seen across assessments; AHA (P = 0.04), JTTHF (P <.001) and CHEQ (P < 0.001). Radiological score significantly correlated with improvement at T2; AHA (r =.475) and CHEQ (r =.632), but negatively with improvement on unimanual measures at T3 (JTTFH r = -.514). fMRI showed negative correlations between contralesional brain activation when moving the affected hand and AHA improvements (T2: r = -.562, T3: r = -0.479). Fractional Anisotropy in the affected posterior limb of the internal capsule correlated negatively with increased bimanual use on CHEQ at T2 (r = -547) and AHA at T3 (r = -.656).Conclusions: Children with greater structural, functional and connective brain damage showed enhanced responses to bimanual intervention. Baseline imaging may identify parameters predicting response to intervention in children with UCP.
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