A Longitudinal Study of Movement and Participation in Patients with Cerebral Palsy---A Combined Brain Imaging and Kinematic Analysis

Cerebral palsy (CP) may lead to various motor deficits, which further influence the activities and participation. It would be ideal to characterize neural network and motor control model in patients with CP that underlies their clinical behavior by identifying altered neural network and motor control associated with behavioral improvement. We hypothesize that the impact of brain image and level of motor control will change with time in patients with CP. Under this hypothesis, the measures of motor control are correlated with neural changes reflected by imaged using structural MRI, resting state fcMRI, and active fMRI sequences. The aim of this study is to investigate the brain image and motor control in patients with CP evaluated by multimodal imaging studies utilizing multi-modal techniques (such as structural MRI, resting state fcMRI, and active fMRI) and kinematic analysis. The primary goal of this study is to establish and evaluate an image-based biomarker for the impaired motor control and sensory information processing present in patients with CP. This study will be executed in 3 phases within 4 years: 1st phase (1st-2nd years): to establish the multimodal brain images and motor control, and clinical outcomes protocol with a prospective one-year follow-up study in healthy subjects; 2nd phase (2nd -3rd years): to establish the brain images and motor control, and clinical outcomes with a prospective one-year follow-up study in older patients with CP; and 3rd phase (3rd -4th years): to establish the brain images and motor control, and clinical outcomes with a prospective one-year follow-up study in younger patients with CP. Additionally, the association between brain images, motor control, and clinical changes involving movement and participation will be analyzed. We will identify the predictors influencing final outcome and The differences in structural image, functional connectivity and brain activation and motor control between patients with CP and healthy controls can potentially be a bio-marker for prognosis. We believe the results of this study will allow clinicians to understand the brain mechanisms underlying motor control and early predict the outcome for patients with CP.

Project ID:PC10301-1154
External Project ID:NSC101-2314-B182-004-MY3