The relation between EEG activation induced by cutaneous electric stimulation (CES) and functional gain during 4 weeks was studied in 61 stroke patients with hemispheric lesions. Within 10 days after admission, EEG topography was recorded in two conditions; without CES and with CES applied to the lower extremities. Alpha-power augmentation during CES was referred to as EEG activation in this paper. Functional states of the patients were measured by Mini-Mental State (MMS), Manual Function Score (MFS), Motor Age Test for trunk and lower extremities (MOA), Adaptive Behavior Scale (ABS) and Maximum Walking Speed (MWS) before and 4 weeks after medical rehabilitation. The patients were divided into two groups by the presence (CES(+)) or absence (CES(-)) of EEG activation. Functional gains of MOA and MWS during 4 weeks were significantly higher in CES(+) than in CES(-) group. Compared to CES(-) group, the number of the patients with significant curve fitting on the recovery prediction of maximum walking speed were high in CES(+), suggesting that the CES(+) group showed predictable recovery of walking capacity. Moreover patients with initial value of MWS less than 20m/min and CES(+) showed more remarkable improvement than those with CES(-). These results indicate that the presence of cortical arousal response to CES is definitely related to functional gain in gross motor function.

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Factors of circulatory and respiratory responses to the multistage maximal exercise test (a symptom-limited Bruce protocol) useing respiratory gas exchange techniques were investigated in 16 patients with lone atrial fibrillation (Af) were compared with age-matched eight normal sedentary subject (group N). The group with lone Af was classified into patients whose pretreatment rest ventricular rate was group T (≥100 beats/min, 8 patients) and those whose rate was group S (<100 beats/min, 8 patients). Responses to exercise were evaluated at the point of gas anerobic threshold (AT) and the peak exercise, Group T denoted significant increase in the heart rate and % peak heart rate as compared with group N (p<0.001) and had excessive heart rate response during AT exercises. It was suggested that the higher heart rate response was compensation for the loss of atrial function. Oxygen uptake (VO₂) expressed as AT was the lowest in the group T and lower in the group S than the group N. The O₂-pulse was singnificantly lower in the group T than the other groups during AT exercise (p<0.001). Moreover the group T was assessed under condition of recieving digoxin (0.25mg/day, D) alone and during combied therapy with D and verapamil (120mg/day, V) to evaluate the drug efficacy. The heart rate and O₂-pulse during AT exercise improved to the level of group S by D and more improved to the level of group N by D and V. These changes of circulatory and respiratory responses were greater during AT exercise than peak exercise. In the lone Af group, heart rate closely correlated with VO₂ (r=0.75) and VO₂-AT correlated with peak VO₂ (r=61). Thus, the results of this study suggested that AT was an useful objective index for evaluation of the exercise tolerance and judgement of the therapeutic efficacy in patients with lone Af.

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