@article{WangFritzschBernardingetal.2013,
  author    = {Wang, Jing and Fritzsch, Claire and Bernarding, Johannes and Krause, Thomas and Mauritz, Karl-Heinz and Brunetti, Maddalena and Dohle, Christian},
  title     = {Cerebral activation evoked by the mirror illusion of the hand in stroke patients compared to normal subjects},
  series = {Neurorehabilitation : an interdisciplinary journal},
  volume    = {33},
  journal   = {Neurorehabilitation : an interdisciplinary journal},
  number    = {4},
  publisher = {IOS Press},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {1053-8135},
  doi       = {10.3233/NRE-130999},
  pages     = {593 -- 603},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {BACKGROUND: Mirror therapy (MT) was found to improve motor function after stroke, but its neural mechanisms remain unclear, especially in single stroke patients. OBJECTIVES: The following imaging study was designed to compare brain activation patterns evoked by the mirror illusion in single stroke patients with normal subjects. METHODS: Fifteen normal volunteers and five stroke patients with severe arm paresis were recruited. Cerebral activations during movement mirroring by means of a video chain were recorded with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Single-subject analysis was performed using SPM 8. RESULTS: For normal subjects, ten and thirteen subjects displayed lateralized cerebral activations evoked by the mirror illusion while moving their right and left hand respectively. The magnitude of this effect in the precuneus contralateral to the seen hand was not dependent on movement speed or subjective experience. Negative correlation of activation strength with age was found for the right hand only. The activation pattern in stroke patients is comparable to that of normal subjects and present in four out of five patients. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, the mirror illusion can elicit cerebral activation contralateral to the perceived hand in the majority of single normal subjects, but not in all of them. This is similar even in stroke patients with severe hemiparesis.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FritzschWangdosSantosetal.2014,
  author    = {Fritzsch, Claire and Wang, Jing and dos Santos, Luara Ferreira and Mauritz, Karl-Heinz and Brunetti, Maddalena and Dohle, Christian},
  title     = {Different effects of the mirror illusion on motor and somatosensory processing},
  series = {Restorative neurology and neuroscience},
  volume    = {32},
  journal   = {Restorative neurology and neuroscience},
  number    = {2},
  publisher = {IOS Press},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {0922-6028},
  doi       = {10.3233/RNN-130343},
  pages     = {269 -- 280},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Purpose: Mirror therapy can improve motor and sensory functions, but effects of the mirror illusion on primary motor and somatosensory cortex could not be established consistently. Methods: Fifteen right handed healthy volunteers performed or observed a finger-thumb opposition task. Cerebral activations during normal movement (NOR), mirrored movement (MIR) and movement observation (OBS) by means of a video chain were recorded with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Activation sizes in movement > static conditions were identified using SPM8 (p < 0.001, unc.) and attributed to predefined areas employing the Anatomy toolbox 1.8. Laterality indices for the responsive areas were calculated on the basis of the number of activated voxels. Results: Relevant bilateral BOLD responses were found in primary motor (M1) and somatosensory (S1 - BA 2, 3b and 3a) cortex, premotor and parietal areas and V5. When comparing MIR to NOR, no significant change of contralateral activation in M1 was found, but clearly at S1 with differences between hands. Conclusion: The mirror illusion does not elicit immediate changes in motor areas, yet there is a direct effect on somatosensory areas, especially for left hand movements. These results suggest different effects of mirror therapy on processing and rehabilitation of motor and sensory function.},
  language  = {en}
}