Article
The Role of the Mirror Neuron System in Rehabilitation with Mirror Therapy following Middle Cerebral Artery Infarction - a pilot fMRI study -
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Authors
Published: | September 1, 2006 |
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Outline
Text
Background
Mirror therapy or Mirror Visual Feedback (MVF) has shown positive effects in several diseases, as phantom pain, stroke, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and in conditions after chirurgical interventions of the hand [Ref. 1], [Ref. 2], [Ref. 3]. The underlaying neurophysiological mechanisms contributing to the explanation of these effects are however still unclear. We tested the hypothesis that during the application of mirror therapy the activation in the mirror neuron system is higher than during normal movement observation without using the mirror.
Methods
The regional cerebral blood flow of four healthy subjects and three stroke patients suffering from middle cerebral artery infarction was analyzed using fMRI while observing finger movements with and without MVF.
Results
During movement observation using MVF a significant increase in cerebral blood flow was observed in the ventral premotor cortex. Furthermore, activation in the visual cortex was lateralized opposite to the seen hand.
Conclusions
References
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- Altschuler EL, Wisdom SB, Stone L, Foster C, Galasko D, Llewellyn DM, Ramachandran VS. Rehabilitation after stroke with a mirror. Lancet. 1999; 353: 2035-6
- 2.
- Moseley GL. Graded motor imagery is effective for long-standing complex regional pain syndrome: a randomised controlled trial. Pain. 2004;108:192-198.
- 3.
- Rosen B, Lundborg G. Training with a mirror in rehabilitation of the hand. Scand J Plast Reconstr Surghand Surg. 2005;39:104-108