Abstract
Basic neural mechanisms associated with recovery after brain injury were evaluated. Positron-emission tomography (PET) and fluorine-18-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose (18-FDG) were utilized to measure glucose metabolism and associated brain activity in the area of the visual cortex during motor tasks in post-acute brain injured (BI) young adults. Four hemiplegic BI subjects were compared over time to four normal matched controls for affected arm movement, least affected arm movement, and rest conditions. Initial data demonstrated hyperactivity in the visual cortex of the BI group versus the control group. Also, in subsequent data under higher resolution conditions greater visual cortex hyperactivity in the BI group was associated with more difficult movement tasks. These results support the hypothesis that compensatory shifts in functional neural systems occur in the visual cortex of post-acute brain injured adults.