Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Motor function in cerebral cortex functional mapping has been extensively explored, but the majority of previous studies utilized active exercise tasks, which result in various errors and limitations to subjects. Passive movement can solve the above problems, but it remains unclear whether passive movement can replace active movement for functional imaging.
OBJECTIVE: By comparing the brain functional localization variance between active right-handed finger movement and passive finger movement, to explore the feasibility of passive movement replacing active movement to perform blood oxygenation level dependent functional MRI (BOLD-fMRI).
METHODS: A total of 8 normal volunteers were selected for BOLD-fMRI with both passive and active finger movements using Philips Intera Gyroscan 1.5T superconducting MR scanner. The fMRI data format was transformed and postprocessed by SPM2, a brain functional analyzing tool. By comparing the results of brain activation area and mean imaging between the two tasks, and analyzing the data using t test in SPM2, the feasibility of substitution with passive finger movement was verified. In addition, on the basis of time-signal intensity dynamic curve output automatically by SPM2, the signal increasing rate percent (SIRP) and the scale difference of brain activation in the two tasks were computed and analyzed.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The rates of appearances of SM1 activation from the contra-lateral hemisphere were 100%, and SM1 activation volumes were not statistically significant in both two tasks. The appearances of SMA, PMC activation were close, and the SIRPs were not statistically significant. BOLD-fMRI imaging can be performed by passive finger movement to substitute active finger movement.