Affiliations: Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas, TX, USA | Buck Institute for Research on Aging, CA, USA
Note: [] Corresponding author: Kunlin Jin, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience and Institute for Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Research, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA. Tel.: +1 817 735 2579; Fax: +1 817 735 0408; E-mail: Kunlin.jin@unthsc.edu
Abstract: Purpose: Clinical studies suggest a correlation between changes in activity of the contralesional cerebral cortex and spontaneous recovery from stroke, but whether this is a causal relationship is uncertain. Methods: Young adult Sprague-Dawley male rats underwent unilateral or bilateral permanent distal middle cerebral artery occlusion (dMCAO). Infarct volume was determined by 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining 24 hr after dMCAO, and functional outcome was assessed 1–28 days after dMCAO using the ladder rung walking and limb placing tests. Results: Infarct volume was unchanged, but functional neurological deficits were reduced 1 day after bilateral compared to unilateral dMCAO. Conclusions: Activity in the contralesional cerebral cortex may inhibit functional motor recovery after experimental stroke.
