Abstract: Objective To investigate the evidence of cortical reorganization in stroke hemiplegia treated with constraint-induced movement therapy(CIMT)by fMRI.Methods Five patients with chronic stroke were evaluated with the Action Research Arm Test(ARAT).The functional MRI(fMRI)was performed on a 3.0-T MRI with echo-planar imaging.The subjects were required to finish the finger-tapping task and undergo fMRI before and after CIMT.A block design was used for the inspection.Results After CIMT,the function of upper limb(sick side)of patients improved significantly assessed by ARAT(P<0.001),and cortical reorganization was found on fMRI.Conclusion CIMT can improve motor function of upper limb of chronic stroke patients with hemiplegia and induce cortical reorganization as measured by fMRI.

Key words: stroke, constraint-induced movement therapy, functional reorganization