Objective
The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between crossed cerebellar diaschisis (CCD) and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) and to study the relationship between CCD and the severity and prognosis of stroke. Method: 28 patients with first-ever unilateral stroke were recruited for this study. The central motor conduction times (CMCTs) were obtained from Abductor pollicis brevis (APB) and Abductor hallucis (AH) by recording MEPs. The existence of CCD was evaluated by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) of brain. The National Institutes of Health stroke scale (NIHSS), Motricity Index (MI), and functional outcome scales were measured. Results: The presence of CCD correlated significantly with "not evoked" MEPs in upper extremity (p＜0.01). The existence of CCD was not associated with the locations (p＞0.05) and volume of brain lesion (p＞0.05). There was a significant correlation between the presence of CCD and lower MI score of upper extremity (p＜0.05). Conclusion: The presence of CCD would indicate the damage on descending motor pathways and be associated with the severe motor impairment of upper extremity in stroke patients. (J Korean Acad Rehab Med 2005; 29: 15-22)

Objective
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) fully characterizes water molecule mobility, allowing an exploration of fiber tract integrity and orientation in the human brain. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between motor impairment and the changes of fractional anisotropy (FA) in the internal capsule in post-stroke hemiplegic patients. Method: Six normal subjects and 19 post-stroke hemiplegic patients who had a lesion in the internal capsule were included in this study. DTI was performed with a 3.0 Tesla MR at the mean interval of 28.2 days after stroke. Motor impairment was assessed with the Motricity Index and TrunkControl Test at the time of the imaging study. FA was measured in anterior limb and posterior limb of internal capsule.Results: FA reduced significantly in the affected region compared with the other unaffected region in patients and normal region in controls. FA in the affected posterior limb of the internal capsule was correlated with the Motricity Index score of the affected upper limb (r=0.642, p＜0.05). Conclusion: DTI can be helpful to evaluate motor impairment of the upper limb in post-stroke hemiplegic patients. (J Korean Acad Rehab Med 2004; 28: 122-125)