ArticleRestorative neurology and neuroscience2018
Adaptive motor cortex plasticity following grip reconstruction in individuals with tetraplegia.
Article in Restorative neurology and neuroscience, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Brachioradialis tendon transfer and palmaris longus tendon graft for thumb avulsion: A case report and review of literature.World journal of clinical cases · 2025Article
- The Surgical Restoration of Arm and Hand Function in Tetraplegic Patients.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2023Review
- Feasibility of using fNIRS to explore motor-related regional haemodynamic signal changes in patients with sensorimotor impairment and healthy controls: A pilot study.Restorative neurology and neuroscience · 2023Article
- Ulnar dimelia and a rare variant ulnar trimelia: Case reports.Radiology case reports · 2022Article
- Regional estimates of cortical thickness in brain areas involved in control of surgically restored limb movement in patients with tetraplegia.The journal of spinal cord medicine · 2020Article
- Functional Brain Connectivity during Multiple Motor Imagery Tasks in Spinal Cord Injury.Neural plasticity · 2018Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTendon transfer is a surgical technique for restoring upper limb motor control in patients with cervical spinal cord injuries (SCI), and offers a rare window into cortical neuroplasticity following regained arm and hand function.
objectiveHere, we aimed to examine neuroplasticity mechanisms related to re-established voluntary motor control of thumb flexion following tendon transfer.
methodsWe used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to test the hypothesis that restored limb control following tendon transfer is mediated by activation of that limb's area of the primary motor cortex. We examined six individuals with tetraplegia who underwent right-sided surgical grip reconstruction at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden. All were right-handed males, with a SCI at the C6 or C7 level, and a mean age of 40 years (range = 31-48). The average number of years elapsed since the SCI was 13 (range = 6-26). Six right-handed gender- and age-matched control subjects were included (mean age 39 years, range = 29-46). Restoration of active thumb flexion in patients was achieved by surgical transfer of one of the functioning elbow flexors (brachioradialis), to the paralyzed thumb flexor (flexor pollicis longus). We studied fMRI responses to isometric right-sided elbow flexion and key pinch, and examined the cortical representations within the left hemisphere somatomotor cortex a minimum of one year after surgery.
resultsCortical activations elicited by elbow flexion did not differ in topography between patients and control participants. However, in contrast to control participants, patients' cortical thumb flexion activations were not topographically distinct from their elbow flexion activations.
conclusionThis result speaks against a topographic reorganization in which the thumb region regains thumb control following surgical tendon transfer. Instead, our findings suggest a neuroplastic mechanism in which motor cortex resources previously dedicated to elbow flexion adapt to control the thumb.
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