Motor control via spared peri-infarct corticospinal tract in patients with pontine infarct.

We investigated the motor control pathway in 3 patients with pontine infarct using diffusion tensor tractography and functional magnetic resonance imaging. The motor tracts of the affected hemisphere were observed to pass along the same spared peri-infarct corticospinal tract area of the pons on both the first and second diffusion tensor tractography. It seems that the main motor function of these patients is controlled via the spared peri-infarct corticospinal tract.