Abstract
PurposeThe aim of this study was to verify whether the functional reorganization of motor cortex is associated with the increase in the size of WHO type IV glioma lesion, that is, disease duration and development, and whether surgical treatment has an impact on cerebral plasticity.MethodsThe study included 16 patients with primary tumors of the brain located at the region of central sulcus. The clinical status of patients and tumor volume was determined. Functional magnetic resonance imaging examinations were performed before and 3 months after operation.ResultsThe activity of all cortical centers, both contralateral and ipsilateral, was observed in a group of small as well as large tumors. The intensity of activation and the number of activated clusters of small tumors were almost always higher as compared with the large tumors. The frequency of the activity of contralateral areas was similar during the first and the second examination. In the case of ipsilateral centers, the frequency of activation during the second examination was lower. Mean values of t-statistics during the first examination were higher than during the second examination. Supplementary motor area (SMAa) was the only center for which the mean values of activation intensity remained similar.ConclusionsSMAa seems to play the most important role in the processes of motor cortex plasticity in high-grade glioma patients. Surgery seems not having a significant influence on the pattern of functional reorganization of the cortical centers for movement. Identification of the individual patterns of the reorganization of motor centers plays an important role in clinical practice.
Highlights
IntroductionThe ability to learn, adaptation to new environmental conditions, and the restoration of neural function following brain injuries represent examples of the plasticity of the nervous system
As it is widely known, the nervous system is not a static structure
Surgery seems not having a significant influence on the pattern of functional reorganization of the cortical centers for movement
Summary
The ability to learn, adaptation to new environmental conditions, and the restoration of neural function following brain injuries represent examples of the plasticity of the nervous system. Various pathological conditions of the brain, for example proliferative processes, congenital malformations, stroke, or neurodegenerative disorders, are associated with changes in the location and size of centers controlling various neural functions, involvement of secondary and accessory centers, and cooperation of centers belonging to different systems [1, 2]. Information on the actual location of active cortical centers responsible for the control of important vital functions affected by the proliferative process of the brain, as well as on the possibility of compensating for the function of the affected center by intact cortical areas would be crucial in the decision-making process in terms of planning and executing the surgical treatment [3, 4]
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