Activity of Daily Living and Motor Evoked Potentials in the Subacute Stroke Patients

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effectiveness of the daily living activity and motor evoked potential (MEP) in the subacute stroke patients. METHODS Nineteen subjects with subacute ischaemic/hemorrhagic stroke developed in the last three months were enrolled, and MEP was measured with transcranial magnetic stimulation. Functional Independence Measure (FIM) score were evaluated in both groups before and 4 weeks after comprehensive rehabilitative management. According to the presence of MEP response in the affected hemisphere, subjects were divided into MEP positive and negative group. RESULTS There was no significant difference between the two groups in age, sex, and post-onset duration. Four weeks later, the change in total FIM and self-care score improved significantly in the MEP-positive group, when compared to the MEP-negative group (p<0.05). However, cognitive improvement had no relationship with MEP responsiveness. CONCLUSION We concluded that initial measurement of MEP is a useful assessment tool in predicting functional outcome of subacute stroke patients.