Article

Motor learning is essential to gain skills with neurorehabilitation.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether capacity for motor learning affects
rehabilitation outcome and its relevant brain activation in ataxic patients with
stroke. METHODS: Twelve patients presenting with ataxia admitted for inpatient
rehabilitation 2 to 3 months after infratentorial stroke and 6 control subjects
performed 8 repetitions of 30-second pursuit rotor (PR) task. Cortical oxygenated
hemoglobin (oxyHb) signals were measured using functional near-infrared
spectroscopy. RESULTS: Both patients and controls learned the PR skill, although
the gains in PR performance were significantly lower in patients. In patients,
the less learning significantly correlated with smaller rehabilitation gains
assessed by the Functional Independence Measure. The Fugl-Meyer score for
coordination and balance did not change. Center of task-related increase of
cortical oxyHb signals shifted from the presupplementary motor area (preSMA) to
the supplementary motor area (SMA) with task repetitions in controls but not in
patients. Accordingly, serial changes of ratio of oxyHb increase in the preSMA to
SMA (preSMA/SMA ratio) were significantly different between the groups. In
patients and controls, gains in PR performance and changes of the preSMA/SMA
ratio correlated. CONCLUSIONS: Impaired motor sequence learning by the PR task
was correlated with reduced rehabilitation gains for ataxic patients with stroke.

Langue : ANGLAIS