Keywords
stroke, impaired motor function, Upper limb motor tasks, neurological disorders
STROKE, NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS
Communicated by Hisao Nishijo.Characterization of cortical activation patterns during movements in healthy adults may help our understanding of how the injured brain works. Upper limb motor tasks are commonly used to assess impaired motor function and to predict recovery in individuals with neurological disorders such as stroke. This study aimed to explore cortical activation patterns associated with movements of the hand and shoulder using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and to demonstrate the potential of this technology to distinguish cerebral activation between distal and proximal movements. Twenty healthy, right-handed participants were recruited. Two 10-s motor tasks (right-hand opening-closing and right shoulder abduction-adduction) were performed in a sitting position at a rate of 0.5 Hz in a block paradigm. We measured the variations in oxyhemoglobin (HbO