OBJECTIVE Imagined walking has yielded insights into normal locomotor control and could improve understanding of neurologic gait dysfunction. This study evaluated brain activation during imagined walking in chronic stroke. METHODS Ten persons with stroke and 10 matched controls completed a walking test battery and a magnetic resonance imaging session including imagined walking and knee extension tasks. Brain activations were compared between tasks and groups. Associations between activations and composite gait score were also calculated, while controlling for lesion load. RESULTS Stroke and worse gait score were each associated with lesser overall brain activation during knee extension but greater overall activation during imagined walking. During imagined walking, the stroke group significantly activated the primary motor cortex lower limb region and cerebellar locomotor region. Better walking function was associated with less activation of these regions and greater activation of medial superior frontal gyrus area 9. CONCLUSIONS Compared with knee extension, imagined walking was less sensitive to stroke-related deficits in brain activation but better at revealing compensatory changes, some of which could be maladaptive. SIGNIFICANCE The identified associations for imagined walking suggest potential neural mechanisms of locomotor adaptation after stroke, which could be useful for future intervention development and prognostication.

中文翻译：

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想象行走的功能性磁共振脑成像研究中风后的运动功能

目的 想象步行已经产生了对正常运动控制的见解，并且可以提高对神经步态功能障碍的理解。这项研究评估了慢性中风患者想象行走期间的大脑激活情况。方法 10 名中风患者和 10 名匹配的对照组完成了步行测试电池和磁共振成像会议，包括想象步行和膝关节伸展任务。在任务和组之间比较大脑激活。还计算了激活和复合步态评分之间的关​​联，同时控制了病变负荷。结果 中风和较差的步态评分均与膝关节伸展期间整体大脑激活较少有关，但在想象行走期间整体激活较大。在想象中的行走中，中风组显着激活了初级运动皮层下肢区域和小脑运动区域。较好的步行功能与这些区域的较少激活和较大的内侧额上回区域 9 的激活有关。这可能是适应不良的。意义 已确定的想象行走的关联表明中风后运动适应的潜在神经机制，这可能对未来的干预发展和预测有用。结论 与膝关节伸展相比，想象行走对中风相关的大脑激活缺陷不太敏感，但更能揭示代偿性变化，其中一些可能是适应不良的。意义 已确定的想象行走的关联表明中风后运动适应的潜在神经机制，这可能对未来的干预发展和预测有用。结论 与膝关节伸展相比，想象行走对中风相关的大脑激活缺陷不太敏感，但更能揭示代偿性变化，其中一些可能是适应不良的。意义 已确定的想象行走的关联表明中风后运动适应的潜在神经机制，这可能对未来的干预发展和预测有用。