ArticleBrain communications2019
Altered topology of large-scale structural brain networks in chronic stroke.
Article in Brain communications, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of alterations in sensorimotor networks following stroke: implications for integration and functional outcomes across recovery stages.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Functional connectivity changes in cerebral small vessel disease - a systematic review of the resting-state MRI literature.BMC medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Early effect of thrombolysis on structural brain network organisation after anterior-circulation stroke in the randomized WAKE-UP trial.Human brain mapping · 2022Trial
- Preserved structural connectivity mediates the clinical effect of thrombolysis in patients with anterior-circulation stroke.Nature communications · 2021Trial
- Harmonized Acquisition of Connectome MRI and Clinical Data for Stroke, Parkinson's Disease and Glioma: Delphi-Derived Protocol Recommendations by the European Academy of Neurology.European journal of neurology · 2026Review
- Bilateral Mechanoreception Discrimination based on Bihemispheric Somatosensory Response Patterns is Associated with Proprioception and Motor Function After Stroke.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Longitudinal Degeneration of Microstructural and Structural Connectivity Patterns Following Stroke.Stroke · 2026Article
- Structural connectome changes as biomarkers of stroke recovery: a longitudinal 7T MRI study.BMC neuroscience · 2026Article
- Uncovering hidden pathways: structural brain networks under connected speech in post-stroke aphasia.Brain communications · 2026Article
- The structural reserve of brain networks influences outcomes after a stroke.Brain communications · 2026Article
- Alteration of brain metabolism in lacunar stroke based onFrontiers in neurology · 2025Article
- Determinants of brain network resilience after stroke.Brain communications · 2025Article
- Evoked slow oscillations and dynamic network reorganization after stroke.Brain communications · 2025Article
- Changes in Resting-State Neural Activity and Nerve Fibres in Ischaemic Stroke Patients with Hemiplegia.Brain topography · 2023Article
- Recovery of neural dynamics criticality in personalized whole-brain models of stroke.Nature communications · 2022Article
- Simulated Attack Reveals How Lesions Affect Network Properties in Poststroke Aphasia.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2022Article
- Preparing for a Second Attack: A Lesion Simulation Study on Network Resilience After Stroke.Stroke · 2022Article
- The Severity of Sensorimotor Tracts Degeneration May Predict Motor Performance in Chronic Stroke Patients, While Brain Structural Network Dysfunction May Not.Frontiers in neurology · 2022Article
- Brain network topology early after stroke relates to recovery.Brain communications · 2022Article
- Development and Testing of SPIDER-NET: An Interactive Tool for Brain Connectogram Visualization, Sub-Network Exploration and Graph Metrics Quantification.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Beyond disruption of neuronal pathways, focal stroke lesions induce structural disintegration of distant, yet connected brain regions via retrograde neuronal degeneration. Stroke lesions alter functional brain connectivity and topology in large-scale brain networks. These changes are associated with the degree of clinical impairment and recovery. In contrast, changes of large scale, structural brain networks after stroke are less well reported. We therefore aimed to analyse the impact of focal lesions on the structural connectome after stroke based on data from diffusion-weighted imaging and probabilistic fibre tracking. In total, 17 patients (mean age 64.5 ± 8.4 years) with upper limb motor deficits in the chronic stage after stroke and 21 healthy participants (mean age 64.9 ± 10.3 years) were included. Clinical deficits were evaluated by grip strength and the upper extremity Fugl-Meyer assessment. We calculated global and local graph theoretical measures to characterize topological changes in the structural connectome. Results from our analysis demonstrated significant alterations of network topology in both ipsi- and contralesional, primarily unaffected, hemispheres after stroke. Global efficiency was significantly lower in stroke connectomes as an indicator of overall reduced capacity for information transfer between distant brain areas. Furthermore, topology of structural connectomes was shifted toward a higher degree of segregation as indicated by significantly higher values of global clustering and modularity. On a level of local network parameters, these effects were most pronounced in a subnetwork of cortico-subcortical brain regions involved in motor control. Structural changes were not significantly associated with clinical measures. We propose that the observed network changes in our patients are best explained by the disruption of inter- and intrahemispheric, long white matter fibre tracts connecting distant brain regions. Our results add novel insights on topological changes of structural large-scale brain networks in the ipsi- and contralesional hemisphere after stroke.
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