MRI Biomarkers for Hand-Motor Outcome Prediction and Therapy Monitoring following Stroke

Figure 4

The processes in the brain after stroke can be separated into different hierarchical levels: structural damage (from severe to nearly none) is caused by the stroke incident. Functional recovery potential is usually related to the spared resources of the affected network. The more severe the damage is, the less likely it is to achieve a certain level of functionality. A lack of functionality in turn leads to a poor outcome. Different strategies of the brain, such as compensation with other areas, try to tackle these problems early after stroke. Plasticity processes can start at any of these levels. Note that the intactness and usability of a structure depend on the structural integrity and functionality of various regions and connections, which are important in different ways for generating a certain motor output.