Reduced Functional Connectivity Within the Primary Motor Cortex of Patients with Brachial Plexus Injury

Overview

Journal Neuroimage Clin

Publisher Elsevier

Specialties Neurology
Radiology

Date 2016 Aug 23

PMID 27547727

Citations 12

Authors

D Fraiman

M F Miranda

F Erthal

P F Buur

M Elschot

L Souza

S A R B Rombouts

C A Schimmelpenninck

D G Norris

M J A Malessy

A Galves

C D Vargas

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

This study aims at the effects of traumatic brachial plexus lesion with root avulsions (BPA) upon the organization of the primary motor cortex (M1). Nine right-handed patients with a right BPA in whom an intercostal to musculocutaneous (ICN-MC) nerve transfer was performed had post-operative resting state fMRI scanning. The analysis of empirical functional correlations between neighboring voxels revealed faster correlation decay as a function of distance in the M1 region corresponding to the arm in BPA patients as compared to the control group. No differences between the two groups were found in the face area. We also investigated whether such larger decay in patients could be attributed to a gray matter diminution in M1. Structural imaging analysis showed no difference in gray matter density between groups. Our findings suggest that the faster decay in neighboring functional correlations without significant gray matter diminution in BPA patients could be related to a reduced activity in intrinsic horizontal connections in M1 responsible for upper limb motor synergies.

Citing Articles

A bibliometric analysis of brachial plexus injury from 1980 to 2022.

Wei D, Zhao L, Hua X, Zheng M, Wu J, Xu J Heliyon. 2024; 10(4):e26175.

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Plasticity of face-hand sensorimotor circuits after a traumatic brachial plexus injury.

Torres F, Ramalho B, Rodrigues M, Schmaedeke A, Moraes V, Reilly K Front Neurosci. 2023; 17:1221777.

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Brain plasticity in neonatal brachial plexus palsies: quantification and comparison with adults' brachial plexus injuries.

Socolovsky M, Masi G, Bonilla G, Lovaglio A, Battaglia D, Rosler R Childs Nerv Syst. 2023; 40(2):479-486.

PMID: 37436472 DOI: 10.1007/s00381-023-06072-2.

Upper limb joint coordination preserves hand kinematics after a traumatic brachial plexus injury.

Lustosa L, Lemos Silva A, Carvalho R, Vargas C Front Hum Neurosci. 2022; 16:944638.

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Virtual Rehabilitation of Elbow Flexion Following Nerve Transfer Reconstruction for Brachial Plexus Injuries Using the Single-Joint Hybrid Assisted Limb.

Doi K, Chia D, Hattori Y, Sakamoto S J Hand Surg Glob Online. 2022; 4(2):97-102.

PMID: 35434571 PMC: 9005380. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhsg.2021.12.005.

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