A novel EEG-based brain mapping to determine cortical activation patterns in normal children and children with cerebral palsy during motor imagery tasks

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare EEG topographical maps in normal children and children with cerebral palsy (CP) during motor execution and motor imagery tasks. Method: Four normal children and four children with CP (mean age 11.6 years) were recruited from a community medical center. An EEG-based brain mapping system with 30 scalp sites (extended 10-20 system) was used to determine cortical reorganization in the regions of interest (ROIs) during four motor tasks: movement execution (ME), kinesthetic-motor imagery (KMI), observation of movement (OOM), and visual motor imagery (VMI). ROIs included the primary sensorimotor cortex (SMC), premotor cortex (PMC), and supplementary motor area (SMA). Design: Descriptive analysis. Results: Normal children showed increased SMC activation during the ME and KMI as well as SMC and visual cortex (VC) activation during KMI. Children with CP showed similar activation in the SMC and other motor network areas (PMC, SMA, and VC). During the OOM and VMI tasks, the VC or occipital area were primarily activated in normal children, whereas the VC, SMC, and bilateral auditory areas were activated in children with CP. Discussion: This is the first study demonstrating different neural substrates for motor imagery tasks in normal and children with CP.