0000000000335909
AUTHOR
Maija Pihlajamäki
Functional MRI and motor behavioral changes obtained with constraint-induced movement therapy in chronic stroke
Background: The clinical benefits of intensive stroke rehabilitation vary individually. We used multimodal functional imaging to assess the relationship of clinical gain and imaging changes in patients with chronic stroke whose voluntary motor control improved after constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT). Methods: Eleven patients (37.6 ± 36.8 months from stroke) were studied by functional MRI (fMRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and behavioral assessment of hand motor control (Wolf Motor Function Test) before and after 2 weeks of CIMT. Individual and group-level changes in imaging and behavioral parameters were investigated. Results: Increase in fMRI activation in the sen…
Long-Term Response to Cholinesterase Inhibitor Treatment Is Related to Functional MRI Response in Alzheimer's Disease.
<b><i>Background:</i></b> Treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) with cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEI) enhances cholinergic activity and alleviates clinical symptoms. However, there is variation in the clinical response as well as system level changes revealed by functional MRI (fMRI) studies. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We investigated 18 newly diagnosed mild AD patients with fMRI using a face recognition task after a single oral dose of rivastigmine, a single dose of placebo and 1-month treatment with rivastigmine. The clinical follow-up took place at 6 and 12 months. <b><i>Results:</i></b> MMSE score difference between bas…
Effect of cholinergic stimulation in early Alzheimer's disease - functional imaging during a recognition memory task.
Treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEI) enhances cholinergic activity and alleviates clinical symptoms. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we investigated the effect of the AChEI rivastigmine on cognitive function and brain activation patterns during a face recognition memory task. Twenty patients with newly-diagnosed mild AD were administered a single oral dose of placebo, a single dose of rivastigmine (acute), and twice-daily treatment with rivastigmine for 4 weeks (chronic). After each treatment, the patients underwent a facial recognition task during fMRI. The prefrontal areas known to be involved in face recogni…