Abstract: Objective To observe the relationship between injury of corticospinal cord tract (CST) in basal ganglia and upper limb function after stroke using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Methods 18 stroke inpatients hospitalized from January, 2013 to July, 2015 accepted DTI, and their upper limb function was evaluated with simple Fugl-Meyer Assessment and Japan Upper Limb Function Test. The fractional anisotropy (FA) of CST in basal ganglia of affected and unaffected sides were compared, and the correlation between FA of affected CST and upper limb motor function were analyzed. Results The FA was significantly less in the affected CST than in the unaffected CST (t=-21.09, P<0.001). The FA of the affected CST correlated with the scores of simple Fugl-Meyer Assessment (r=0.570, P<0.05) and Japan Upper Limb Function Test (r=0.509, P<0.05). Conclusion CST is injured after stroke, which may related to the upper limbs motor function impairment.

Key words: stroke, diffusion tensor imaging, corticospinal cord tract, upper limbs, motor function