fMRI in Bell's Palsy: cortical activation is associated with clinical status in the acute and recovery phases
BACKGROUND: Using functional MRI (fMRI), we explored cortical activation in patients with acute
Bell’s palsy (BP) and analyzed its correlates with clinical status in the acute phase, and with 6-monthoutcome.
METHODS: 24 right-handed patients with acute BP within 15 days of onset and 24 healthy controls
underwent fMRI during performance of unilateral active (hemi-smiling) and passive lip movement tasks
with both the paretic and the normal lip. The degree of paresis was evaluated during the acute stage and