Cortical change after a 2-week novel robotic rehabilitation program in children with prior hemispherectomy: pilot imaging study

Introduction Partial preservation of sensory and motor functions in the contralateral extremities after hemispherectomy is likely secondary to cortical reorganization of the remaining hemisphere and can be improved by rehabilitation. This study aims to investigate behavioral and structural cerebral cortical changes that may occur after a 2-week novel robotic rehabilitation program in children with prior anatomic hemispherectomy. Methods Five patients with prior anatomic hemispherectomy (average age 10.8 years; all female) participated in a 2-week novel robotic rehabilitation program. Pre- and post-treatment (2 time points) high-resolution structural 3D FSPGR (fast spoiled gradient echo) magnetic resonance images were analyzed to measure cortical thickness and gray matter volume using a locally designed image processing pipeline. Results Four of the five patients showed improvement in the Fugl-Meyer score (average increase 2.5 + 2.1 SD. Individual analyses identified small increases in gray matter volume near the hand knob area of the primary cortex in three of the five patients. Group analyses identified an increase in cortical thickness near the hand knob area of the primary motor cortex, in addition to other sensorimotor regions. Conclusion This small pilot study demonstrates that potentially rehabilitation-associated cortical changes can be identified with MRI in hemispherectomy patients.