Motor learning in unilateral cerebral palsy and the influence of corticospinal tract reorganization.

Motor learning in unilateral cerebral palsy and the influence of corticospinal tract reorganization. Eur J Paediatr Neurol. 2020 May 04;: Authors: Carneiro MIS, Russo C, Masson R, Rossi Sebastiano D, Baranello G, Turati C, Bolognini N Abstract Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a complex neurological disorder, characterized by congenital motor disability associated with behaviour, perception and cognition disorders. The sensorimotor impairments represent the main hallmark of the disease, significantly impacting the quality of life. So far, few studies have investigated motor learning abilities in CP and their association with the plastic reorganization of the motor system remains largely unknown. The present proof-of-principle study explored explicit motor sequence learning in children with unilateral CP and different patterns of motor system reorganization (bilateral, ipsilateral, contralateral). Children with unilateral CP, and a group of age-matched typically developing (TD) children, underwent a sequential finger tapping task, performed with the affected hand by children with CP and with the non-dominant hand by TD children. The pattern of corticospinal tract projections in hemiparetic patients was assessed by single-pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). Results showed the presence of finger dexterity impairments in children with unilateral CP presenting with a bilateral or an ipsilateral control of the affected (trained) hand, as c...
Source: European Journal of Paediatric Neurology - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Eur J Paediatr Neurol Source Type: research