Dr. Ali Bani Ahmed | University of Tabuk (original) (raw)

Papers by Dr. Ali Bani Ahmed

Jordan Journal of Nursing Research, Nov 29, 2023

American Journal of Audiology, Dec 1, 2010

PurposeTo collect age-specific vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) data and to characteri... more PurposeTo collect age-specific vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) data and to characterize age-related differences in VEMP parameters using a modified blood pressure manometer (BPM) method of sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle monitoring.MethodsVEMPs were recorded on healthy adults ranging in age from 23 to 84 years with no history of dizziness, neuromuscular pathologies, or cervical complaints. Participants were assigned to 3 groups using a nonprobability static group assignment based on their age. VEMP P1 and N1 latency, threshold, peak-to-peak amplitude, and interamplitude difference (IAD) ratios were obtained at 130 dB SPL.ResultsStatistical differences were detected in peak-to-peak mean amplitude and threshold measures among groups. Post hoc analysis revealed that differences shown were between the young group and both older groups. No significant differences were noted in P1 and N1 latencies or IAD ratios.ConclusionsThis study confirmed a significant decline in VEMP amplitude and increase in VEMP thresholds in healthy older persons. Normative age-related data may be necessary to properly interpret VEMP recordings in a clinical setting when evaluating aging populations. The BPM method utilized for controlling SCM muscle may be a valuable alternative to control SCM muscle contraction when electromyography equipment is not available.

Journal of neurological disorders, May 12, 2016

The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine, 2018

Background: abusive head trauma (AHT) or shaken baby syndrome (or SBS), is an injury to a child&#... more Background: abusive head trauma (AHT) or shaken baby syndrome (or SBS), is an injury to a child's brain as a result of abuse. SBS can be caused by direct blows to the head, dropping, throwing or shaking a child. The prevalence of SBS has been reported to be 14–33.8/100 000 in children aged below one year. With a mortality rate of approximately 25%, a great portion of the survivors continue their lives with functional disorders including learning difficulty, behavior problems, advanced cognitive and developmental retardation, stroke and blindness. Shaking frequently occurs as a result of getting angry of a caregiver of a baby who cries in an unspecifiable way. Therefore, caregivers of babies should be aware of their level of stress and learn how to cope with stress. Shaken baby syndrome is a preventable problem. However, we have limited knowledge about how educated of caregivers about SBS especially in less urbanized regions such as Northern Borders including Tabuk city. Aim of ...

Frontiers in neurology and neuroscience research, 2021

Background and purpose: Strong experimental neurobehavioral evidence suggests that intensive trai... more Background and purpose: Strong experimental neurobehavioral evidence suggests that intensive training improves arm motor disability after stroke. Yet, we still have only limited understanding why some patients recover more completely and others do not. This is in part due to our limited knowledge of the neurobiological principles of recovery from stroke. Mounting evidence suggests that functional and structural remapping of the primary motor cortex (M1) plays a major role in arm recovery after stroke. We used MR Spectroscopy to test the hypothesis that therapy-related arm improvement is associated with changes in levels of a putative marker of neuronal integrity (N-acetylaspartate, NAA) in M1 controlling the paretic arm (ipsilesional M1) in chronic stroke patients (n=5). Methods: Patients (1 female, age, mean ± SD, 58.4 ± 5.8 years) underwent 4-week arm-focused motor training (1080 repetitions of a reach-to-grasp task) at 13.6 ± 5.3 months after stroke onset. NAA levels in the ipsil...

Carmen M Cirstea, Hung-Wen Yeh, Anda E Popescu, Ali Bani-Ahmed, In-Young Choi, Phil Lee, Sorin Cr... more Carmen M Cirstea, Hung-Wen Yeh, Anda E Popescu, Ali Bani-Ahmed, In-Young Choi, Phil Lee, Sorin Craciunas, and William M Brooks Hoglund Brain Imaging Center, University of Kansas, Kansas City, KS, United States, Departments of Physical Therapy, Biostatistics, Neurology, Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas, Kansas City, KS, Neurosurgery Unit IV, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania

Arm motor recovery after stroke is usually incomplete; six months after onset about twothirds of ... more Arm motor recovery after stroke is usually incomplete; six months after onset about twothirds of patients suffer from arm motor impairment that significantly impacts the individual's activities of daily living. Thus, novel concepts beyond current strategies for arm motor rehabilitation after stroke are needed. An essential approach for this is to better understand whether motor learning-related neural changes in stroke are similar with those in healthy controls and how these neural changes relate to recovery of the pre-morbid movement pattern or "true" recovery. Abnormal task-related activation in primary and non-primary motor cortices has been a consistent finding in functional MRI studies of stroke. Disturbed functional network architecture, e.g., the influence that one motor area exerts over another, also impacts stroke recovery. The outcome measures chosen to evaluate recovery are also important for the interpretation of these brain changes. Thus, the long-range goal of this work was to longitudinally investigate the changes in cortical motor function at two levels, regional (micro-circuitry, regional activation) and network (macro-circuitry, functional connectivity), following an arm-focused motor training in chronic stroke survivors and how these brain changes relate to recovery of the pre-morbid movement pattern or "true" recovery. In the Chapter I, we reviewed the literature concerning the pathophysiology of stroke, neural substrates of motor control, and motor learning principles and neural substrates in healthy and pathological (stroke) brain. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS From the bottom of my heart, I am grateful for my mentor, Dr. Carmen M. Cirstea, for her wisdom, kindness, and generosity. Words can't express my gratitude for all she has done. Thank you for sharing so much time and sparing no effort in teaching me, challenging me to consider new perspectives and deeper investigations, and finally making sure that the knowledge is transferred. Most of all, thank you for your support and patience throughout the entire process. I wish to thank my committee members who shared with me their expertise, efforts and precious time. It has been an honor having you all serving in my dissertation committee. A special thank to all faculty and staff at Hoglund Brain Imaging Center for your continued support and for hosting me and my research, which made the completion of this research an enjoyable experience. Finally, I would like to thank all my teachers at the University of Kansas Medical Center. I will be grateful to you all for the rest of my life because "a teacher affects eternity, we can never tell where his/her influence stops". vii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I-Introduction 1 Introduction 2 Stroke physiopathology 2 Mechanisms of stroke 2 Clinical impairments after stroke 5

Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation

ABSTRACT Background: As clinicians, muscles stretching approaches are one of the most commonly us... more ABSTRACT Background: As clinicians, muscles stretching approaches are one of the most commonly used interventions in rehabilitation. However, there is a need for an in-depth evaluation of research on prolonged stretching in terms of the features of the stretching approaches, such as duration and frequency, as well as the compatible measures of a successful stretching approach. Objective: This review is an effort to synthesize findings from studies on “prolonged” stretching approaches in patients with UMNs including stroke, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries. We investigated the compatible features of successful stretching regimens in terms of reducing spasticity, improving the Active Range of Motion (AROM), Passive Range of Motion (PROM), and gait training of spastic patient with upper motor neuron lesions. Methods: Studies evaluating the effectiveness of “prolonged” stretching on spastic ankle planterflexor muscles and its complications were critically reviewed, and the level of evidence was analyzed. Results: There is a sufficient level of evidence to support the use of stretching as and effective techniques in rehabilitation. However, more research is yet to be done to objectively examine the ideal parameters of a successful stretching approach using functional assessments, such as walking, speed, walking capacity, and balance. Conclusion: The review adds stronger understanding with regard to stretching considerations in rehabilitation following UMNs. The ideal approach, as well as the functional implications on motor performance are yet to be further studied.

International Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Objective: Arm motor recovery after stroke is primarily attributed to the primary motor cortex (M... more Objective: Arm motor recovery after stroke is primarily attributed to the primary motor cortex (M1) plasticity. While the M1 contralateral to the paretic arm (cM1) is undoubtedly critical for recovery, the role of the ipsilateral M1 (iM1) is still inconclusive. For instance, an abnormally increased activity in the iM1 is reported immediately after stroke and normalizes at the chronic stage in recovered patients. Whether persistent iM1 hyperactivity in chronic stroke reflects a less efficient type of plasticity (so-called maladaptive) is still far from settled. We investigated the functional significance of the iM1 hyperactivity with respect to compensatory behavioral strategies employed by patients suffering from chronic arm paresis. Methods: Functional MRI and trunk kinematics data were collected during paretic arm movements in 11 patients before and after a four-week training specifically designed to improve the motor control of the paretic arm and diminish the behavioral (trunk) compensation comprising of variable practice of a reach-to-grasp task with feedback given as knowledge-of-performance. Eight age-matched healthy controls underwent similar evaluations and training. Magnitude of iM1 (and cM1) activation and anterior trunk displacement were analysed. Results: Before training, patients exhibited significantly stronger iM1 activation, increased trunk motion, and significant positive correlations between these two variables compared to controls. After training, patients significantly decreased iM1 activation and displayed a trend toward decreased trunk use. The correlations between iM1 activation and trunk motion persisted and were different from those in controls. Conclusion: Our preliminary data provide evidence that functional iM1 plasticity is related to behavioral compensation, suggesting a maladaptive role of the iM1 in chronic subcortical stroke. We however recommend caution in interpreting these results until more work is completed.

International journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation, 2016

We investigated the effects of an intensive impairment-oriented training on neuronal state (asses... more We investigated the effects of an intensive impairment-oriented training on neuronal state (assessed by proton MR spectroscopy, 1H-MRS) of the spared motor and premotor cortices in the injured (ipsilesional) hemisphere and clinical impairment in a patient with chronic subcortical stroke. One survivor of a single ischemic stroke located outside of the motor and premotor cortices (assessed on T1-weighted MRI) was studied at six months after stroke. We used functional MRI-guided 1H-MRS to quantify the levels of N-acetylaspartate (NAA - a putative neuronal marker) in the hand representation within ipsilesional primary motor cortex (M1), dorsal premotor cortex (dPM) and supplementary motor area (SMA), and Fugl-Meyer (normal=66 points) test to assess the arm motor impairment immediately before and after a motor training paradigm. Training comprised intensive variable practice (1080 repetitions over 12 day-period) of a reach-to-grasp task with the impaired hand while focusing the learner&#...

Background and Objectives: Reaching is one of the arm major functions and has poor recovery after... more Background and Objectives: Reaching is one of the arm major functions and has poor recovery after stroke. Although kinematic metrics of reaching reflect “true” impairment after stroke, these metrics are largely ignored in functional MRI studies. In this study, we examined the relationship between motor–related activation of the primary motor cortex (or M1) and clinical and kinematic measures of arm motor impairment in chronic stage of stroke. We hypothesized that patients would show i) increased handgrip-related M1 activation, particularly for those with poor outcome, ii) decreased active range of elbow extension, and iii) M1 activation would be negatively related to clinical/kinematic metrics of arm motor impairment. We also hypothesized that M1 activation would be stronger correlated with kinematic than clinical metrics. Methods: Nineteen survivors of an ischemic subcortical stroke (confirmed on T2-weighted images) at more than six months post-onset and twelve age-sex matched heal...

Stroke is a disorder that affects over 700,000 of people each year, with nearly 500,000 will be l... more Stroke is a disorder that affects over 700,000 of people each year, with nearly 500,000 will be left with some sort of long-term disability. While the underlying cause is neurological disability in the region of the brain where the stroke occurred, the functional problem is most often physical disability. Many stroke patients can no longer use their extremities. Lower extremity deficit causes problems with walking and balance, while upper extremity deficit represents significant challenges with common activities of daily living (1). Stoke is considered one of the leading causes of disability in adults (2)! It can also have a tremendous impact on activities of daily living, and may result in dependence on a caregiver. Treatment for stroke has improved, and early detection and treatment can often mitigate the effects and prevent the sequelae of a stroke. Still nearly half a million stroke patients experience some level of physical dysfunction each year. Clearly physical dysfunction due to stroke is an enormous medical problem, and research to improve prevention, treatment and rehabilitation related to stroke is very important.

Experimental Brain Research

Arm motor recovery after stroke is mainly attributed to reorganization of the primary motor corte... more Arm motor recovery after stroke is mainly attributed to reorganization of the primary motor cortex (M1). While M1 contralateral to the paretic arm (cM1) is critical for recovery, the role of ipsilateral M1 (iM1) is still inconclusive. Whether iM1 activity is related to recovery, behavioral compensation, or both is still far from settled. We hypothesized that the magnitude of iM1 activity in chronic stroke survivors will increase or decrease in direct proportion to the degree that movements of the paretic arm are compensated. Movement kinematics (VICON, Oxford Metrics) and functional MRI data (3T MR system) were collected in 11 patients before and after a 4-week training designed to improve motor control of the paretic arm and decrease compensatory trunk recruitment. Twelve matched controls underwent similar evaluations and training. Relationships between iM1 activity and trunk motion were analyzed. At baseline, patients exhibited increased iM1 activity ( p = 0.001) and relied more on trunk movement ( p = 0.02) than controls. These two variables were directly and significantly related in patients ( r = 0.74, p = 0.01) but not in controls ( r = 0.28, p = 0.4). After training, patients displayed a significant reduction in iM1 activity ( p = 0.008) and a trend toward decreased trunk use ( p = 0.1). The relationship between these two variables remained significant ( r = 0.66, p = 0.03) and different from controls ( r = 0.26, p = 0.4). Our preliminary results suggest that iM1 may play a role in compensating for brain damage rather than directly gaining control of the paretic arm. However, we recommend caution in interpreting these results until more work is completed.

Stroke

Background. Although functional imaging and neurophysiological approaches reveal alterations in m... more Background. Although functional imaging and neurophysiological approaches reveal alterations in motor and premotor areas after stroke, insights into neurobiological events underlying these alterations are limited in human studies. Objective. We tested whether cerebral metabolites related to neuronal and glial compartments are altered in the hand representation in bilateral motor and premotor areas and correlated with distal and proximal arm motor impairment in hemiparetic persons. Methods. In 20 participants at >6 months postonset of a subcortical ischemic stroke and 16 age-and sex-matched healthy controls, the concentrations of N-acetylaspartate and myo-inositol were quantified by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Regions of interest identified by functional magnetic resonance imaging included primary (M1), dorsal premotor (PMd), and supplementary (SMA) motor areas. Relationships between metabolite concentrations and distal (hand) and proximal (shoulder/elbow) motor impairment using Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity (FMUE) subscores were explored. Results. N-Acetylaspartate was lower in M1 (P = .04) and SMA (P = .004) and myo-inositol was higher in M1 (P = .003) and PMd (P = .03) in the injured (ipsilesional) hemisphere after stroke compared with the left hemisphere in controls. N-Acetylaspartate in ipsilesional M1 was positively correlated with hand FMUE subscores (P = .04). Significant positive correlations were also found between N-acetylaspartate in ipsilesional M1, PMd, and SMA and in contralesional M1 and shoulder/elbow FMUE subscores (P = .02, .01, .02, and .02, respectively). Conclusions. Our preliminary results demonstrated that proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a sensitive method to quantify relevant neuronal changes in spared motor cortex after stroke and consequently increase our knowledge of the factors leading from these changes to arm motor impairment.

International Journal of Physiotherapy and Research

We report a 38 yrs old patient with a previously diagnosed Chronic Low Back Pain who became sever... more We report a 38 yrs old patient with a previously diagnosed Chronic Low Back Pain who became severely functionally impaired as evidenced by the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (56%). The aim of this study was to introduce changes in functional gait parameters as an assessment tool before and after a single session of Kinesiotape application in a patient with chronic LBP. We introduced, for the first time, gait parameters including the 10-meter walk test and the 6-minute walk test as the functional gait parameters of interest. There was (1) a 25% & 36% increase in normal walking speed and fast walking speed, respectively as evidenced by the 10MWT with 72% decrease in pain and (2) a 86% increase in walking tolerance as evidenced by the 6MWT with 88% decrease in pain. Our data demonstrated for the first time the possible effective use of gait assessment as objective motor performance measures to assess the therapy-induced improvement following therapeutic intervention in patient with chronic low back pain. We hope that these data will act as a starting point for further research to test the potential gait assessment measures to provide a more in-depth objective assessment in response to rehabilitation therapies in chronic low back pain patients.

Journal of Physical Therapy Science

This review synthesizes findings from studies on two forms of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapi... more This review synthesizes findings from studies on two forms of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapies: the original Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy and the modified Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy, in adult stroke patients including the evidence, current limitations and future directions. [Methods] We critically reviewed studies evaluating the effectiveness of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapies in chronic stoke focusing on the functional (i.e. motor recovery) and the neural (i.e. cortical organization) levels. [Results] Constraint-Induced Movement Therapies seemed to improve the upper limb functional usage in chronic stoke with no reliable neurophysiological underlying mechanisms. The Motor Activity Log was the common outcome measuring motor recovery. The work that has been done on modified Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy was far less than the work done on the original Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy. [Conclusion] Evident lack of understanding of the association between changes in motor recovery and the underlying neural mechanisms in-terms of measures of assessing and defining functional recovery (i.e Motor Activity Log) that lacks sufficient sensitivity to characterize changes in movement strategies and thereby lack of distinction between recovery and behavioral compensation. Future studies should employ using kinematic metrics to quantify and explain the training-related changes in behavior following Constraint-Induced Movement Therapies in chronic stroke.

Stroke, 2011

Background and Purpose-Our goal was to investigate whether certain metabolites, specific to neuro... more Background and Purpose-Our goal was to investigate whether certain metabolites, specific to neurons, glial cells, or the neuronal-glial neurotransmission system, in primary motor cortices (M1), are altered and correlated with clinical motor severity in chronic stroke. Methods-Fourteen survivors of a single ischemic stroke located outside the M1 and 14 age-matched healthy control subjects were included. At Ͼ6 months after stroke, N-acetylaspartate, myo-inositol, and glutamate/glutamine were measured using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (in-plane resolutionϭ5ϫ5 mm 2) in radiologically normal-appearing gray matter of the hand representation area, identified by functional MRI, in each M1. Metabolite concentrations and analyses of metabolite correlations within M1 were determined. Relationships between metabolite concentrations and arm motor impairment were also evaluated. Results-The stroke survivors showed lower N-acetylaspartate and higher myo-inositol across ipsilesional and contralesional M1 compared with control subjects. Significant correlations between N-acetylaspartate and glutamate/glutamine were found in either M1. Ipsilesional N-acetylaspartate and glutamate/glutamine were positively correlated with arm motor impairment and contralesional N-acetylaspartate with time after stroke. Conclusions-Our preliminary data demonstrated significant alterations of neuronal-glial interactions in spared M1 with the ipsilesional alterations related to stroke severity and contralesional alterations to stroke duration. Thus, MR spectroscopy might be a sensitive method to quantify relevant metabolite changes after stroke and consequently increase our knowledge of the factors leading from these changes in spared motor cortex to motor impairment after stroke.

Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, 2013

Background. Abnormal task-related activation in primary motor cortices (M1) has been consistently... more Background. Abnormal task-related activation in primary motor cortices (M1) has been consistently found in functional imaging studies of subcortical stroke. Whether the abnormal activations are associated with neuronal alterations in the same or homologous area is not known. Objective. Our goal was to establish the relationships between M1 measures of motor-task-related activation and a neuronal marker, N-acetylaspartate (NAA), in patients with severe to mild hemiparesis. Methods. A total of 18 survivors of an ischemic subcortical stroke (confirmed on T2-weighted images) at more than six months post-onset and 16 age- and sex-matched right-handed healthy controls underwent functional MRI during a handgrip task (impaired hand in patients, dominant hand in controls) and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) imaging. Spatial extent and magnitude of blood oxygen level-dependent response (or activation) and NAA levels were measured in each M1. Relationships between activation and NAA were determined. Results. Compared with controls, patients had a greater extent of contralesional (ipsilateral to impaired hand, P &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; .001) activation and a higher magnitude of activation and lower NAA in both ipsilesional (P = .008 and P &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; .001, respectively) and contralesional (P &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; .0001, P &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; .05) M1. There were significant negative correlations between extent of activation and NAA in each M1 (P = .02) and a trend between contralesional activation and ipsilesional NAA (P = .08) in patients but not in controls. Conclusions. Our results suggest that after stroke greater neuronal recruitment could be a compensatory response to lower neuronal metabolism. Thus, dual-modality imaging may be a powerful tool for providing complementary probes of post-stroke brain reorganization.

American Journal of Audiology, 2010

To collect age-specific vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) data and to characterize age-... more To collect age-specific vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) data and to characterize age-related differences in VEMP parameters using a modified blood pressure manometer (BPM) method of sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle monitoring. VEMPs were recorded on healthy adults ranging in age from 23 to 84 years with no history of dizziness, neuromuscular pathologies, or cervical complaints. Participants were assigned to 3 groups using a nonprobability static group assignment based on their age. VEMP P1 and N1 latency, threshold, peak-to-peak amplitude, and interamplitude difference (IAD) ratios were obtained at 130 dB SPL. Statistical differences were detected in peak-to-peak mean amplitude and threshold measures among groups. Post hoc analysis revealed that differences shown were between the young group and both older groups. No significant differences were noted in P1 and N1 latencies or IAD ratios. This study confirmed a significant decline in VEMP amplitude and increase in VEMP thresholds in healthy older persons. Normative age-related data may be necessary to properly interpret VEMP recordings in a clinical setting when evaluating aging populations. The BPM method utilized for controlling SCM muscle may be a valuable alternative to control SCM muscle contraction when electromyography equipment is not available.