A Longitudinal Study of Motor Control and Brain Images in Patients With Brain Damage

Brain damage may lead to various motor deficits, which further influence the activities and participation. Cerebral palsy (CP) and cerebral vascular accident (CVA) are the common disorder for congenital and acquired brain damage, respectively. It would be ideal to characterize neural network in patients with brain damage that underlies their clinical behavior by identifying altered neural network associated with behavioral improvement. The investigators hypothesize that the level of motor control and impact of brain image will change with time in patients with brain damage. Under this hypothesis, the measures of motor control are correlated with neural changes reflected by imaged using structural MRI, resting state fcMRI, and active fMRI sequences. The aim of this study is to investigate the motor control and brain image in patients with brain damage evaluated by clinical measures and multimodel imaging studies such as structural MRI, resting state fcMRI, and active fMRI. The primary goal of this study is to establish and evaluate an image-based biomarker for the impaired motor control and sensory information processing present in CP and stroke patients. This study will be executed in 3 years: 1st phase: to establish the multimodal brain images and motor control in healthy subjects; 2nd phase: to establish the brain images and motor control in patients with stroke.; and 3rd phase: to establish the brain images and motor control in patients with CP. Additionally, the association between brain images and clinical changes involving movement and participation will be analyzed. The investigators will identify the predictors influencing final outcome and analyze. The differences in structural image, functional connectivity and brain activation between patients with brain damage and healthy controls can potentially be a bio-marker for prognosis. The investigators believe the results of this study will allow clinicians to understand the brain mechanisms underling motor control and early predict the outcome for patients with brain damage.