Journal article
FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY FOLLOWING MOTOR CORTEX LESIONS IN NON-HUMAN PRIMATES: EXPERIMENTAL IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMAN STROKE PATIENTS
Journal of integrative neuroscience, Vol.10(3), pp.353-384
09/01/2011
DOI: 10.1142/S0219635211002737
PMCID: PMC3689229
PMID: 21960307
Abstract
This review discusses selected classical works and contemporary research on recovery of
contralesional fine hand motor function following lesions to motor areas of the cerebral cortex in
non-human primates. Findings from both the classical literature and contemporary studies show that
lesions of cortical motor areas induce paresis initially, but are followed by remarkable recovery of
fine hand/digit motor function that depends on lesion size and post-lesion training. Indeed, in
recent work where considerable quantification of fine digit function associated with grasping and
manipulating small objects has been observed, very favorable recovery is possible with minimal
forced use of the contralesional limb. Studies of the mechanisms underlying recovery have shown that
following small lesions of the digit areas of primary motor cortex (M1), there is expansion of the
digit motor representations into areas of M1 that did not produce digit movements prior to the
lesion. However, after larger lesions involving the elbow, wrist and digit areas of M1, no such
expansion of the motor representation was observed, suggesting that recovery was due to other
cortical or subcortical areas taking over control of hand/digit movements. Recently, we showed that
one possible mechanism of recovery after lesion to the arm areas of M1 and lateral premotor cortex
is enhancement of corticospinal projections from the medially located supplementary motor area (M2)
to spinal cord laminae containing neurons which have lost substantial input from the lateral motor
areas and play a critical role in reaching and digit movements. Because human stroke and brain
injury patients show variable, and usually poorer, recovery of hand motor function than that of
nonhuman primates after motor cortex damage, we conclude with a discussion of implications of this
work for further experimentation to improve recovery of hand function in human stroke patients.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY FOLLOWING MOTOR CORTEX LESIONS IN NON-HUMAN PRIMATES: EXPERIMENTAL IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMAN STROKE PATIENTS
- Creators
- Warren G Darling - University of IowaMarc A Pizzimenti - University of IowaRobert J Morecraft - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of integrative neuroscience, Vol.10(3), pp.353-384
- DOI
- 10.1142/S0219635211002737
- PMID
- 21960307
- PMCID
- PMC3689229
- NLM abbreviation
- J Integr Neurosci
- ISSN
- 0219-6352
- eISSN
- 1757-448X
- Grant note
- R01 NS046367 || NS / National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke : NINDS
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 09/01/2011
- Academic Unit
- Anatomy and Cell Biology; Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science; Health, Sport, and Human Physiology
- Record Identifier
- 9984259646502771
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