Segawa Shiori, Osumi Michihiro
Graduate School of Health Science, Kio University, Nara, Japan.
Department of Rehabilitation, Hoshigaoka Medical Center, Osaka, Japan.
Front Hum Neurosci. 2025 Feb 24;19:1525680. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2025.1525680. eCollection 2025.
Mirror visual feedback (MVF) has shown promise as a treatment for deafferentation pain following brachial plexus injury, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to assess MVF's effect on two patients with deafferentation pain by analyzing cortico-muscular coherence (CMC), a measure of functional connectivity between the brain and muscles.
Two patients with brachial plexus injuries performed wrist movements with and without a mirror, accompanied by electromyography (EMG) and electroencephalography (EEG). CMC was calculated during each condition to determine changes in the sensorimotor network.
In Patient 1, CMC increased in the beta band in the extensor carpi radialis and surrounding parietal regions during the mirror condition. In Patient 2, beta-band CMC decreased in the compensatory muscle (biceps brachii) but increased in the primary muscle (flexor carpi ulnaris) when the mirror was used. These findings suggest MVF promotes sensorimotor integration, reducing pain intensity.
Mirror visual feedback (MVF) effectively enhances CMC in the contralateral sensorimotor cortex in the beta frequency band, accompanied by pain relief in the affected limb. This suggests that CMC analysis could refine deafferentation pain rehabilitation using MVF, providing a better understanding of its neural mechanisms and optimizing therapeutic outcomes. Our study underscores the potential of CMC as a valuable biomarker for monitoring and tailoring MVF interventions.
镜像视觉反馈（MVF）已显示出有望成为治疗臂丛神经损伤后去传入性疼痛的方法，但其潜在机制仍不清楚。本研究旨在通过分析皮质-肌肉相干性（CMC）来评估MVF对两名去传入性疼痛患者的影响，CMC是一种衡量大脑与肌肉之间功能连接性的指标。
两名臂丛神经损伤患者在有镜和无镜的情况下进行腕部运动，同时记录肌电图（EMG）和脑电图（EEG）。在每种情况下计算CMC，以确定感觉运动网络的变化。
在患者1中，在镜像条件下，桡侧腕伸肌及周围顶叶区域的β频段CMC增加。在患者2中，使用镜子时，代偿肌（肱二头肌）的β频段CMC降低，但原动肌（尺侧腕屈肌）的β频段CMC增加。这些发现表明MVF促进了感觉运动整合，降低了疼痛强度。
镜像视觉反馈（MVF）能有效增强对侧感觉运动皮层β频段的CMC，同时患侧肢体疼痛减轻。这表明CMC分析可优化使用MVF的去传入性疼痛康复治疗，有助于更好地理解其神经机制并优化治疗效果。我们的研究强调了CMC作为监测和调整MVF干预措施的有价值生物标志物的潜力。
