Characterisation of motor deficits and prediction of therapeutic success via motion analysis and movement-related potentials (multi-modal EEG)

Various sensorimotor deficits can be distinguished clinically in stroke patients. Motor control deficits can be characterised more precisely by qualitative and kinematic motion analyses. Examples are given for patients with arm paresis, deafferentation, or apraxia, respectively. The multi-modal EEG analysis of movement-related electric brain activity provides information on different aspects of cerebral motor control both during movement preparation and movement execution, namely on movement-related slow cortical potentials (DC) as well as changes of sensorimotor rhythms (desynchronisation) of alpha- and beta-band activity. Among stroke patients with different impairments such as paresis, deafferentation, or apraxia, differential changes of cerebral motor control could be demonstrated by multi-modal EEG analysis. Further, the success of training after a period of Arm Ability Training could be predicted by multi-modal EEG analysis prior to training among a group of stroke patients with mild arm paresis.