Clinical recovery after stroke can be significant and has been attributed to plastic reorganization and recruitment of novel areas previously not engaged in a given task. As equivocal results have been reported in studies using single imaging or electrophysiological methods, here we applied an integrative multimodal approach to a group of well-recovered chronic stroke patients (n = 11; aged 50-81 years) with left capsular lesions. Focal activation during recovered hand movements was assessed with EEG spectral analysis and H2(15)O-PET with EMG monitoring, cortico-cortical connectivity with EEG coherence analysis (cortico-cortical coherence) and corticospinal connectivity with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). As seen from comparisons with age-matched controls, our patients showed enhanced recruitment of the lateral premotor cortex of the lesioned hemisphere [Brodmann area (BA) 6], lateral premotor and to a lesser extent primary sensorimotor and parietal cortex of the contralesional hemisphere (CON-H; BA 4 and superior parietal lobule) and left cerebellum (patients versus controls, Z > 3.09). EEG coherence analysis showed that after stroke cortico-cortical connections were reduced in the stroke hemisphere but relatively increased in the CON-H (ANOVA, contrast analysis, P < 0.05), suggesting a shift of functional connectivity towards the CON-H. Nevertheless, fast conducting corticospinal transmission originated exclusively from the lesioned hemisphere. No direct ipsilateral motor evoked potentials (MEPs) could be elicited with TMS over the contralesional primary motor cortex (iM1) in stroke patients. We conclude that (i) effective recovery is based on enhanced utilization of ipsi- and contralesional resources, (ii) basic corticospinal commands arise from the lesioned hemisphere without recruitment of ('latent') uncrossed corticospinal tract fibres and (iii) increased contralesional activity probably facilitates control of recovered motor function by operating at a higher-order processing level, similar to but not identical with the extended network concerned with complex movements in healthy subjects.

Sensory abnormalities have been reported in Parkinson's disease and may contribute to the motor deficits. Peripheral sensory stimulation inhibits the motor cortex, and the effects depend on the interstimulus interval (ISI) between the sensory stimulus and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to the motor cortex. Short latency afferent inhibition (SAI) occurs at an ISI of approximately 20 ms, and long latency afferent inhibition (LAI) at an ISI of approximately 200 ms. We studied SAI and LAI in 10 Parkinson's disease patients with the aim of assessing whether sensorimotor processing is altered in Parkinson's disease. Patients were studied on and off medication, and the findings were compared with 10 age-matched controls. Median nerve and middle finger stimulation were delivered 20-600 ms before TMS to the contralateral motor cortex. The motor evoked potentials were recorded from the relaxed first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle. SAI was normal in Parkinson's disease patients off dopaminergic medications, but it was reduced on the more affected side in Parkinson's disease patients on medication. LAI was reduced in Parkinson's disease patients compared with controls independent of their medication status. LAI reduced long interval intracortical inhibition in normal subjects but not in Parkinson's disease patients. The different results for SAI and LAI indicate that it is likely that separate mechanisms mediate these two forms of afferent inhibition. SAI probably represents the direct interaction of a sensory signal with the motor cortex. This pathway is unaffected by Parkinson's disease but is altered by dopaminergic medication in Parkinson's disease patients and may contribute to the side effects of dopaminergic drugs. LAI probably involves other pathways such as the basal ganglia or cortical association areas. This defective sensorimotor integration may be a non-dopaminergic manifestation of Parkinson's disease.

These findings demonstrate that the functional anatomy of the human motor system changes during normal aging. It appears that, for a given motor task, the aging brain recruits additional primary sensorimotor and premotor regions of both hemispheres.

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