Cortical Changes After Mental Imagery Training Combined With Electromyography-Triggered Electrical Stimulation in Patients With Chronic Stroke

Stroke.ahajournals.org: July 12, 2012.

Paresis of the upper extremity after stroke is not effectively solved by existing therapies. We investigated whether mental imagery training combined with electromyogram-triggered electric stimulation improved motor function of the paretic upper extremity in patients with chronic stroke and induced cortical changes.

Methods—Fourteen subjects with chronic stroke (≥12 months) were randomly allocated to receive mental imagery training combined with electromyogram-triggered electric stimulation (n=7) or generalized functional electric stimulation (n=7) on the forearm extensor muscles of the paretic extremity in 2 20-minute daily sessions 5 days a week for 4 weeks. The upper extremity component of the Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment, the Motor Activity Log, the modified Barthel Index, and ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose brain positron emission tomography were measured before and after the intervention. Read more