Imaging study shows how stroke can impair communication between brain hemispheres
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People who are at risk for a stroke can help prevent abnormal clotting events if they buy Canadian Plavix. Scientific research continues to find ways to improve rehabilitation for stroke survivors, who may endure complications such as paralysis. Two imaging studies demonstrate how the corpus callosum may provide physicians with a potential target for such rehabilitation.
The corpus callosum is the bundle of nerve fibers that connects the right and left brain hemispheres, allowing them to communicate with each other. Researchers from Germany used two MRI tests to assess the functions of the corpus callosum in stroke survivors.
A functional MRI experiment, comparing patients who had a stroke to healthy controls, imaged subjects' brains while asking them to tap their hands. The images showed that compared to the controls, the stroke survivors tapped their hands more slowly while exhibiting increased activity in both sides of their brain, which the researchers interpreted as a sign of impaired communication between the two hemispheres.
Another test used diffusion MRI to demonstrate structural damage in the corpus callosum of stroke patients. The most severe alterations were observed in worse cases, as published in the journal Human Brain Mapping.
"This is why we are currently examining whether we can regenerate the communication between the brain hemispheres through early and regular stimulation treatment," said researcher Christian Grefkes. "Our long-term aim is to improve motor deficits in stroke patients."
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