{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Body representation after a stroke in the brainstem.
{Author}: Émard-Lamy C;Bergé L;Saj A;
{Journal}: J Neurol Sci
{Volume}: 460
{Issue}: 0
{Year}: 2024 May 15
{Factor}: 4.553
{DOI}: 10.1016/j.jns.2024.123013
{Abstract}: <B>BACKGROUND: </B>Lesion occurring in the brainstem may cause a postural tilt and balance disorders, which could be due to an inaccurate perception of the body orientation. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of a brainstem stroke on body representation in horizontal and frontal plane, and links with impaired posture and neuroanatomy.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>Forty patients with stroke in left brainstem (L-BS) or right (R-BS) were compared with 15 matched control subjects (C). The subjective straight-ahead (SSA) was investigated using a method disentangling lateral deviation and tilt components of error.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>The L-BS patients had contralesional lateral deviation of SSA. In addition, they showed an ipsilesional tilt, more severe for the trunk than for the head. By contrast, in R-BS patients, the representation of the body midline was fairly accurate in both the horizontal and frontal planes and did not differ from that of control subjects.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>This work highlights an asymmetry of representation of body associated with left brainstem lesions extending to the right cerebral hemisphere. This deviation appears only after a left lesion, which may point to a vestibular dominance. These results open a new perspective of neuro-rehabilitation of postural disorders after a stroke, with the correction of the representation of body orientation.