Dynamic alternations of interhemispheric functional connectivity in brachial plexus avulsion injury patients with nerve transfer: a resting state fMRI study.
Yang YangTie LiYan DengJunlong WangYajie LiHanqiu LiuWeiwei WangPublished in: Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) (2023)
Brachial plexus avulsion injury (BPAI) is a severe peripheral nerve injury that leads to functional reorganization of the brain. However, the interhemispheric coordination following contralateral cervical 7 nerve transfer remains unclear. In this study, 69 BPAI patients underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging examination to assess the voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC), which reveals the interhemispheric functional connection. The motor function of the affected upper extremity was measured using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) scale. The VMHC analysis showed significant differences between the bilateral precentral gyrus, supplementary motor area (SMA), middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and insula. Compared to the preoperative group, the VMHC of the precentral gyrus significantly increased in the postoperative short-term group (PO-ST group) but decreased in the postoperative long-term group (PO-LT group). Additionally, the VMHC of the SMA significantly increased in the PO-LT group. Furthermore, the VMHC of the precentral gyrus in the PO-ST group and the SMA in the PO-LT group were positively correlated with the FMA-UE scores. These findings highlight a positive relationship between motor recovery and increased functional connectivity of precentral gyrus and SMA, which provide possible therapeutic targets for future neuromodulation interventions to improve rehabilitation outcomes for BPAI patients.
Keyphrases
- functional connectivity
- resting state
- magnetic resonance imaging
- peripheral nerve
- end stage renal disease
- newly diagnosed
- ejection fraction
- chronic kidney disease
- prognostic factors
- type diabetes
- multiple sclerosis
- magnetic resonance
- blood brain barrier
- current status
- brain injury
- contrast enhanced
- subarachnoid hemorrhage