@article{QIMS154905,
author = {Xu Cheng and Penggang Qiao and Rujing Sun and Shiyu Zhang and Zhenchang Wang},
title = {Lateralization-specific motor network reorganization in pontine infarction revealed by resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging},
journal = {Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery},
volume = {16},
number = {7},
year = {2026},
keywords = {},
abstract = {Background: Pontine infarction (PI) accounts for 7% of ischemic strokes, yet motor recovery varies significantly despite comparable lesion topography. The neural mechanisms underlying this heterogeneity remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate lesion laterality–dependent functional reorganization within the motor execution network following PI through the use of region of interest (ROI)-based resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).Methods: A total of 31 patients with acute unilateral PI [19 with left PI (LPI) and 12 with right PI (RPI)] and 31 matched controls underwent rs-fMRI. Seed-based functional connectivity (FC) analysis of the motor execution network was performed with spherical ROIs (6-mm radius). Group differences in FC were tested with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc Bonferroni correction [cluster-level family-wise error (FWE)-corrected P0.05). Lesion volumes during the acute phase and NIHSS scores did not differ significantly between the LPI and RPI groups (P>0.05). In patients with LPI, FC was enhanced between the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the thalamus/basal ganglia, between the right supplementary motor area (SMA)/precentral gyrus and ipsilateral basal ganglia, and between the thalamus and bilateral cerebellum (all cluster-level FWE-corrected P values },
issn = {2223-4306}, url = {https://qims.amegroups.org/article/view/154905}
}