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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurol.
Sec. Applied Neuroimaging
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1500579
This article is part of the Research Topic Advanced fNIRS Applications in Neuroscience and Neurological Disorders View all 9 articles

Brain near-infrared study of upstairs movement after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Provisionally accepted
Ziyuan Cao Ziyuan Cao 1Hao Zhang Hao Zhang 2Xipeng Wu Xipeng Wu 1*Yuxuan Zhang Yuxuan Zhang 1*Jiangli Yu Jiangli Yu 3*Wei Li Wei Li 4*
  • 1 Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
  • 2 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shandong Provincial Third Hospital, Jinan, China
  • 3 The Second Medical Center and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disease, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
  • 4 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, Binzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: After anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), patients undergo specific changes in body and specific brain functions, which stem from neuroplasticity.In this study, we employed functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to investigate the characteristics of brain activation in patients after ACLR during a repetitive upstairs task, and compared them with healthy individuals. We aimed to provide a new theoretical basis for the changes in brain function after ACLR and neurorehabilitation of sports injuries.Methods: A total of 27 patients who undergoing right ACLR and 27 healthy controls participated in the study. We utilized fNIRS to collect hemodynamic data from the frontal and parietal cortices of both groups during a repetitive upstairs task. The Lysholm scale assessment was conducted prior to the commencement of the task.Compare the functional characteristics of the brain in post-operative patients and healthy subjects during upstairs tasks, and examine the functional differences between the two groups.: (1) Patients undergoing ACLR demonstrated a significant negative change in β-value for Channel 25 (t = 4.0461, p = 0.0067) during the repetitive upstairs task. (2)In contrast, the healthy control group exhibited a significant increase in β-value across Channel 6 (t = -3.0489, p = 0.0066), Channel 7 (t = -4.5723, p = 0.0002), Channel 8 (t = -3.0089, p = 0.0072), Channel 13 (t = -2.8789, p = 0.0096), Channel 20 (t = -3.4200, p = 0.0029), and Channel 33 (t = -2.6974, p = 0.0143) during the task. (3) When compared to the healthy control group, ACLR patients exhibited a significant negative change in β-value for Channel 25 (t = 2.7583, p = 0.0089) , and Channel 33 (t = 3.0618, p = 0.0040).Patients with ACLR exhibited a significant negative activation in a specific brain region during upward stair movements. In contrast, healthy individuals demonstrated activation in two particular brain areas during the same task.Interventions targeting these brain regions may represent a novel rehabilitation approach. This provides a theoretical basis for incorporating fNIRS into the rehabilitation assessment of patients undergoing ACLR. In conclusion, this study provides a theoretical framework for potential interventions and assessments of brain regions following ACLR.

    Keywords: ACLR, fNIRS, Rehabilitation, sports injury rehabilitation, brain function

    Received: 23 Sep 2024; Accepted: 24 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Cao, Zhang, Wu, Zhang, Yu and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Xipeng Wu, Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
    Yuxuan Zhang, Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
    Jiangli Yu, The Second Medical Center and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disease, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
    Wei Li, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, Binzhou, China

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