The role of ventral tegmental area in chronic stroke rehabilitation: an exploratory study
IntroductionThe acknowledged role of external rewards in chronic stroke rehabilitation, offering positive reinforcement and motivation, has significantly contributed to patient engagement and perseverance. However, the exploration of self-reward’s importance in this context remains limited. This stu...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neurology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1270783/full |
| _version_ | 1797404413666525184 |
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| author | Loukas G. Astrakas Sabrina Elbach Sabrina Elbach Irini Giannopulu Shasha Li Shasha Li Howard Benjafield A. Aria Tzika A. Aria Tzika |
| author_facet | Loukas G. Astrakas Sabrina Elbach Sabrina Elbach Irini Giannopulu Shasha Li Shasha Li Howard Benjafield A. Aria Tzika A. Aria Tzika |
| author_sort | Loukas G. Astrakas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionThe acknowledged role of external rewards in chronic stroke rehabilitation, offering positive reinforcement and motivation, has significantly contributed to patient engagement and perseverance. However, the exploration of self-reward’s importance in this context remains limited. This study aims to investigate the functional connectivity of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a key node in the brain’s reward circuitry, during motor task-based rehabilitation and its correlation with the recovery process.MethodsTwelve right-handed healthy volunteers (4 men, 8 women, aged 57.4 ± 11.3 years) and twelve chronic stroke patients (5 men, 7 women, aged 48.1 ± 11.1 years) with clinically significant right-sided motor impairment (mean FM-UE score of 27.6 ± 8.7) participated. The analysis employed the CONN toolbox to assess the association between motor tasks and VTA connectivity using psychophysiological interaction (PPI).ResultsPPI analysis revealed motor-dependent changes in VTA connectivity, particularly with regions within the motor circuitry, cerebellum, and prefrontal cortex. Notably, stronger connectivity between the ipsilesional VTA and cerebellum was observed in healthy controls compared to chronic stroke patients, highlighting the importance of VTA-cerebellum interactions in motor function. Stroke patients’ motor performance was associated with VTA modulation in areas related to both motor tasks and reward processing, emphasizing the role of self-reward processes in rehabilitation. Changes in VTA influence on motor circuitry were linked to improvements in motor performance resulting from rehabilitation.DiscussionOur findings underscore the potential of neuroimaging techniques in quantifying and predicting rehabilitation outcomes by examining self-reward processes. The observed associations between VTA connectivity and motor performance in both healthy and stroke-affected individuals emphasize the role of psychological factors, particularly self-reward, in the rehabilitation process. This study contributes valuable insights into the intricate interplay between reward circuits and motor function, highlighting the importance of addressing psychological dimensions in neurorehabilitation strategies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T02:54:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e9938aa57daa4ff7b0bad082bbaad05b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-2295 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T02:54:36Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neurology |
| spelling | doaj.art-e9938aa57daa4ff7b0bad082bbaad05b2023-12-05T07:55:26ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurology1664-22952023-12-011410.3389/fneur.2023.12707831270783The role of ventral tegmental area in chronic stroke rehabilitation: an exploratory studyLoukas G. Astrakas0Sabrina Elbach1Sabrina Elbach2Irini Giannopulu3Shasha Li4Shasha Li5Howard Benjafield6A. Aria Tzika7A. Aria Tzika8Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, GreeceAthinoula A. Martinos Center of Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United StatesNMR Surgical Laboratory, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United StatesClinical Research and Technological Innovation, Paris, FranceAthinoula A. Martinos Center of Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United StatesNMR Surgical Laboratory, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United StatesSchool of Social Sciences and Professions – Psychology, London Metropolitan University, London, United KingdomAthinoula A. Martinos Center of Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United StatesNMR Surgical Laboratory, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United StatesIntroductionThe acknowledged role of external rewards in chronic stroke rehabilitation, offering positive reinforcement and motivation, has significantly contributed to patient engagement and perseverance. However, the exploration of self-reward’s importance in this context remains limited. This study aims to investigate the functional connectivity of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a key node in the brain’s reward circuitry, during motor task-based rehabilitation and its correlation with the recovery process.MethodsTwelve right-handed healthy volunteers (4 men, 8 women, aged 57.4 ± 11.3 years) and twelve chronic stroke patients (5 men, 7 women, aged 48.1 ± 11.1 years) with clinically significant right-sided motor impairment (mean FM-UE score of 27.6 ± 8.7) participated. The analysis employed the CONN toolbox to assess the association between motor tasks and VTA connectivity using psychophysiological interaction (PPI).ResultsPPI analysis revealed motor-dependent changes in VTA connectivity, particularly with regions within the motor circuitry, cerebellum, and prefrontal cortex. Notably, stronger connectivity between the ipsilesional VTA and cerebellum was observed in healthy controls compared to chronic stroke patients, highlighting the importance of VTA-cerebellum interactions in motor function. Stroke patients’ motor performance was associated with VTA modulation in areas related to both motor tasks and reward processing, emphasizing the role of self-reward processes in rehabilitation. Changes in VTA influence on motor circuitry were linked to improvements in motor performance resulting from rehabilitation.DiscussionOur findings underscore the potential of neuroimaging techniques in quantifying and predicting rehabilitation outcomes by examining self-reward processes. The observed associations between VTA connectivity and motor performance in both healthy and stroke-affected individuals emphasize the role of psychological factors, particularly self-reward, in the rehabilitation process. This study contributes valuable insights into the intricate interplay between reward circuits and motor function, highlighting the importance of addressing psychological dimensions in neurorehabilitation strategies.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1270783/fullchronic strokeFugl-Meyer upper extremity scalepsychophysiological interactionventral tegmental arearewardrehabilitation |
| spellingShingle | Loukas G. Astrakas Sabrina Elbach Sabrina Elbach Irini Giannopulu Shasha Li Shasha Li Howard Benjafield A. Aria Tzika A. Aria Tzika The role of ventral tegmental area in chronic stroke rehabilitation: an exploratory study Frontiers in Neurology chronic stroke Fugl-Meyer upper extremity scale psychophysiological interaction ventral tegmental area reward rehabilitation |
| title | The role of ventral tegmental area in chronic stroke rehabilitation: an exploratory study |
| title_full | The role of ventral tegmental area in chronic stroke rehabilitation: an exploratory study |
| title_fullStr | The role of ventral tegmental area in chronic stroke rehabilitation: an exploratory study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The role of ventral tegmental area in chronic stroke rehabilitation: an exploratory study |
| title_short | The role of ventral tegmental area in chronic stroke rehabilitation: an exploratory study |
| title_sort | role of ventral tegmental area in chronic stroke rehabilitation an exploratory study |
| topic | chronic stroke Fugl-Meyer upper extremity scale psychophysiological interaction ventral tegmental area reward rehabilitation |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1270783/full |
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