Functional Connectivity Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Stroke: An Evidence-Based Clinical Review

Abstract

Stroke is a common condition that may lead to various degrees of neurological deficit and long-term disability. It has become increasingly recognized that cortical reorganization of neuronal networks plays a significant role in regaining function following a focal brain injury. However, the mechanisms involved in this process are still not fully understood. Resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging is a rapidly evolving scanning technique that has the potential to shed light into this neuronal rearrangement. A better understanding of the underlying neurological pathways may contribute to the development of targeted treatment that will promote repair and reduce poststroke deficit. The aim of this review is to provide an up-to-date summary of the available scientific data evaluating the clinical application of functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging among stroke survivors.

Brain connectivity and neurological disorders after stroke

“…vision, attention, motor) and their topography recapitulates that of networks activated during tasks [5–10]. Notably, a growing number of studies indicates that stroke induces changes of functional connectivity within and between RSNs [11–13] and that these changes correlate with behavioral impairment at acute [11,14,15] and chronic [11,16 ▪ ] phases (see Varsou et al [17], for a review). Here, we review the latest reports showing behaviorally relevant stroke-induced changes of functional connectivity at acute and chronic phases after stroke and after rehabilitation.…”

Cognitive state following mild stroke: A matter of hippocampal mean diffusivity

“…These studies mainly aimed to investigate the effect of stroke on cerebral networks and their value in predicting recovery (Grefkes and Fink, 2014). Most studies considered motor recovery and demonstrated a significant association between impaired performance and disrupted inter hemispheric functional connectivity (Carter, et al, 2010;Compston, 2011;Park et al, 2011;Golestani et al, 2013;Varsou et al, 2013;Dijkhuizen et al, 2014;Tsai et al, 2014;Xu et al, 2014). Recently, a study by Dacosta-Aguayo et al (2014) assessed the prognostic value of changes in rs-fMRI patterns in cognitive recovery after stroke.…”

“…Resting state functional connectivity (Biswal et al, ) in human stroke participants was first introduced in 2007 (Varsou et al, ). In rest paradigm, acquired during resting state functional MRI (rs‐fMRI), subjects do not have to perform a task, instead, they are asked to rest quietly with their eyes closed or open for several minutes (Greicius, ).…”

GLT-1 transporter: An effective pharmacological target for various neurological disorders

“…Stroke is the third leading cause of death in industrialized countries and the most frequent cause of permanent disability in adults worldwide (Varsou et al, 2014;Lo et al, 2003;Donnan et al, 2008). Stroke is primarily either hemorrhagic or ischemic, and almost 80% of the stroke is ischemic (Banerjee et al, 2011).…”