Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria (Aug 2011)

Functional electrical stimulation improves brain perfusion in cranial trauma patients

  • Bárbara Juarez Amorim,
  • Allan de Oliveira Santos,
  • Telma Dagmar Oberg,
  • Juliana Romanato,
  • Dalton A. Anjos,
  • Mariana da Cunha Lopes de Lima,
  • Celso Darío Ramos,
  • Donizete Cesar Honorato,
  • Edwaldo Eduardo Camargo,
  • Elba Cristina de Sá Camargo Etchebehere

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0004-282X2011000500020
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 69, no. 4
pp. 682 – 686

Abstract

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OBJECTIVE: Demonstrate brain perfusion changes due to neuronal activation after functional electrical stimulation (FES). METHOD: It was studied 14 patients with hemiplegia who were submitted to a program with FES during fourteen weeks. Brain perfusion SPECT was performed before and after FES therapy. These patients were further separated into 2 groups according to the hemiplegia cause: cranial trauma and major vascular insults. All SPECT images were analyzed using SPM. RESULTS: There was a significant statistical difference between the two groups related to patient's ages and extent of hypoperfusion in the SPECT. Patients with cranial trauma had a reduction in the hypoperfused area and patients with major vascular insult had an increase in the hypoperfused area after FES therapy. CONCLUSION: FES therapy can result in brain perfusion improvement in patients with brain lesions due to cranial trauma but probably not in patients with major vascular insults with large infarct area.

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