Prior to the fMRI activation runs, a resting-state run was acquired except in patients #1–4 and #17. The resting-state acquisition consisted of one single 6-min run during which the patients kept their eyes closed and had to avoid moving or falling asleep.
Then, the patients performed two consecutive activation runs of motor skill learning with their paretic upper limb, using a MR-compatible mouse (NAtA Technologies, Canada). Visual feedback was projected on a screen, which was viewed via a mirror placed on the head coil. As described in a previous study (Lefebvre et al., 2012), each run (duration 8 min 41 s; 172 volumes) contained a REST condition (fixation cross) and three experimental conditions: LEARNING, EASY, and REPLAY. LEARNING required performing the motor skill learning paradigm described below. EASY required moving the cursor back and forth between two horizontal or vertical targets, without speed or accuracy constraint. This condition was designed to explore brain activation related to simple movement execution under visual control. During REPLAY, a video clip of the last LEARNING performance was displayed, and the patients were instructed to follow the cursor’s displacement with their eyes without moving the hand. The REPLAY condition was designed to isolate activation related to visual and oculomotor processes.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00320/full