Evidence of cortical reorganization in hemiparetic patients.

We studied the mechanisms underlying the recovery of motor function of the hand using a bidimensional xenon-133 inhalation technique to measure regional cerebral blood flow at rest and during the performance of a motor task (test condition). The regional cerebral blood flow patterns under rest and test conditions were compared in normal control and in stroke patients with either a cortico-subcortical or a deep-seated lesion. Functional recovery appears to depend upon cortical reorganization involving both hemispheres, particularly in both parietal regions in the subgroup of patients with cortico-subcortical lesions.