Cross Validation of Functional Connectivity in EEG and Bold Signals in Patients with Cortical or Subcortical Stroke, for Predicting Outcome and Clinical Assessment Scales, Evaluated by Using Gyro Sensors and 3D Motion Analysis System

The current research model for studying stroke is based on the improvement of patients’ behavior and performance. For avoiding limitations and allowing for individualization, we propose a new trend and the best way is to assess brain functional connectivity statistically correlated with multiple clinical assessment scales, evaluated by the 3D motion analysis system with multi-gyro sensors, in the acute and chronic stages of stroke patients. Importantly, the pros and cons of good and injured hemispheres potentially impacting ipsilateral and/or contralateral motor cortical areas and their functional connectivity in patients with stroke still remain unclear. Our previous published research has shown electroencephalography (EEG) functional connectivity and its resting-state networks by applying the independent component analysis (ICA) and a series of pipeline EEG analysis in the eyes-open and eyes-closed states of normal young adults. The results are in line with the conclusion of the current resting-state functional MRI (RS-fMRI) and its functional connectivity technology. Meanwhile for the value of clinical application, EEG functional connectivity analysis provides a feasible method and effective research model to realize the differences between healthy subjects and patients with injured brains in the view of brain functional connectivity, validated by our previous two-year project. In addition, combining with new technology with 3D motion analysis system with multi-gyro sensors, our new two-year project will furthermore validate the correlations among brain functional networks, clinical assessment and prognosis in the acute and chronic stages of stroke patients. Diffusion MRI, tractography and structural connectivity are also new methods to estimate the direction of the neural fibers by measuring water diffusion within neural fibers in our project. This non-invasive approach is also a valuable way to characterize the trend of the linked neural pathways in the brain, and a useful method to validate the anatomical structure associated with brain functional connectivity. Therefore based on our previous results providing an effective framework, the first year of this project will apply EEG, RS-fMRI, diffusion MRI, 3D motion analysis, and several clinical assessment scales to the stroke patients in the acute stage, in order to cross-validate the functional connectivity in EEG and fMRI, and the correlation analysis will be applied to the changed electrical and blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD）signals, correlated to clinical assessment scales, and evaluated by the 3D motion analysis. The second year is for applying the same steps on stroke patients in the chronic stage. This project will prove that the clinical improvement of stroke patients on progress significantly related to the improved functional connectivity similar to the connectivity itself in the normal brain, rather than the increased local blood flow of the injured cortex. Meanwhile, the 3D motion analysis will quantitatively document the best assessment tools for stroke patients via the accurate way, correlated to the validated brain functional networks. This is also the first study providing a sound framework to study patients' brain functional connectivity, clinical assessment, and 3D motion analysis and their correlation after stroke.

Project ID:PC10408-1272
External Project ID:MOST104-2314-B182-013