This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Teasell, R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Teasell, R. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information Stroke

(Stroke. 2003;34:365.)
© 2003 American Heart Association, Inc.

Advances in Stroke 2002

Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation

Robert Teasell, MD, FRCPC

From the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, St Joseph’s Health Care London, Parkwood Hospital, Lawson Health Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.

Correspondence to Robert Teasell, University of Western Ontario, London Health Sciences Center, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 339 Windermere Rd, London, Ontario N6A 5A5, Canada. E-mail robert.teasell@lhsc.on.ca

Key Words: magnetic resonance imaging; • functional • recovery • rehabilitation • reorganization • stroke

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

One of the most exciting areas of stroke research is our increasing understanding of the brain’s plasticity and the ability of rehabilitation to influence neurological recovery and subsequently impact clinical outcomes. Pomeroy and Tallis¹ note, "The recent revolution in our understanding of the nervous system as being soft-wired, of the potential for recovery through reorganization and of the central role of afferent information is ground for optimism."

Stroke Recovery

Numerous theories and hypothesis have been forwarded to explain the neurological recovery seen after an acute stroke. Functional brain imaging has offered an opportunity to visualize cerebral activation associated with recovery from a stroke. Functional MRI, PET, and transcranial magnetic stimulation are now being used to demonstrate activation after stroke associated with specific stimuli or tasks.²

Studies examining recovery of the affected upper extremity with rehabilitation therapies have shown distinct patterns of cortical reorganization. The predominate pattern, which correlates with therapy-related improvements in upper extremity movement, involves increases in fMRI activity in the premotor cortex and secondary somatosensory cortex contralateral to the affected arm and in the superior posterior regions of the cerebellum bilaterally.³ Stroke patients not only show this extended activation on the contralateral side, but unlike controls they also activate the ipsilateral motor cortex.⁴ Feydy et al⁵ were able to demonstrate that the nature of the lesion played a role in the development of cortical reorganization; involvement of the primary motor cortex resulted in increased ipsilateral activation, whereas sparing of the primary motor cortex resulted in increased contralateral sensorimotor cortex involvement. . . . [Full Text of this Article]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Svensson, U. Sonn, and K. S. Sunnerhagen Reliability and validity of the Northwick Park Dependency Score (NPDS) Swedish version 6.0 Clinical Rehabilitation, April 1, 2005; 19(4): 419 - 425. [Abstract] [PDF]