The Value of Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Stroke

In the acute phase of stroke, the use of imaging techniques aims to provide pathophysiological information concerning vascular patency, areas of hypoperfusion, and metabolic and structural damage. Based on such information, therapeutic decisions such as the administration of reperfusion medications are made. After the acute phase, brain plasticity and reorganization are the main mechanisms underlying functional recovery, and improvement is determined by functional adaptations of distributed brain networks mediated by connectivity.1 Accordingly, new therapeutic approaches, such as noninvasive brain stimulation, target the modulation of connectivity and network function.2,3 At this stage, imaging-based biomarkers should reflect the status of cerebral networks. As the relevance of the network view of stroke becomes increasingly evident,4 so does the usefulness of imaging techniques in the assessment of cerebral network function in clinical populations. Most notably is the use of resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI).rs-fMRI is a task-independent functional neuroimaging approach based on intrinsic low-frequency fluctuations (typically <0.1 Hz) in the blood oxygenation level–dependent (BOLD) signal. This signal can be used to compute the temporal correlations between spatially remote areas, termed: functional connectivity. In the healthy brain, functional connectivity is increased between areas that are part of the same functional network even in the absence of task. The resulting spatial patterns closely resemble the activation patterns identified during specific tasks,5 and these networks are referred to as resting-state networks.6 Thus, rs-fMRI provides an approach for detailed investigation of functional networks, as well as a more general method for assessing changes in intrinsic neuronal activity. Unlike task-based methods, measures of intrinsic functional connectivity allow for flexible post hoc analyses that probe multiple functional networks. Additionally, the minimal demands on the patient during the scanning session make the technique an optimal choice for clinical settings.rs-fMRI may offer the prospect …