This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.
Abstract
Background: Small cortical strokes may cause predominant weakness restricted to a particular group of fingers. However, clinical, radiologic, and etiopathogenetical studies have rarely been done in these patients.
Method: The author analyzed clinical and radiologic features of 12 patients with small cortical infarcts who had predominant weakness of particular fingers.
Results: The patients were divided into two groups: Eight patients had predominant involvement of ulnar-sided fingers (PIUF), and four had predominant involvement of radial-sided fingers (PIRF). Sensory symptoms were also present in eight patients, and the severity correlated with that of motor impairment. Radiologic–clinical correlation showed that the lesions related to PIUF were located significantly more medially than those associated with PIRF in the presumed hand representation area of the motor cortex. In addition, the PIUF was closely associated with severe proximal vessel stenosis or occlusion, whereas the PIRF was often related to emboligenic stroke.
Conclusions: The results agree with traditionally alleged topography for fingers in the human motor cortex: ulnar fingers—medial and radial fingers—lateral. However, whether this result indicates a point-to-point somatotopical representation or differential threshold of excitability in individual neurons remains unknown. Sensory topography seems to be closely associated with that of motor function in individual subjects. The motor cortex representing ulnar-sided fingers may be a borderzone area between large arteries.
- Received October 13, 2000.
- Accepted February 24, 2001.
AAN Members
We have changed the login procedure to improve access between AAN.com and the Neurology journals. If you are experiencing issues, please log out of AAN.com and clear history and cookies. (For instructions by browser, please click the instruction pages below). After clearing, choose preferred Journal and select login for AAN Members. You will be redirected to a login page where you can log in with your AAN ID number and password. When you are returned to the Journal, your name should appear at the top right of the page.
AAN Non-Member Subscribers
Purchase access
Letters: Rapid online correspondence
REQUIREMENTS
You must ensure that your Disclosures have been updated within the previous six months. Please go to our Submission Site to add or update your Disclosure information.
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.
You May Also be Interested in
Association of Neurofilament Light With the Development and Severity of Parkinson Disease
Dr. Rodolfo Savica and Dr. Parichita Choudhury
► Watch
Alert Me
Recommended articles
Carotid occlusive disease and stroke risk in coronary artery bypass graft surgery
Infarct patterns in atherosclerotic middle cerebral artery versus internal carotid artery disease
Carotid intimal sarcoma causing stroke and intracranial metastasis via tumor embolization
Anterior cerebral artery infarction