Abstract
Background.
Stroke affects widespread brain regions through interhemispheric
connections by influencing bilateral motor activity. Several noninvasive
brain stimulation techniques have proved their capacity to compensate
the functional loss by manipulating the neural activity of alternative
pathways. Over the past few decades, brain stimulation therapies have
been tailored within the theoretical framework of modulation of cortical
excitability to enhance adaptive plasticity after stroke.
Objective.
However, considering the vast difference between animal and human
cerebral cortical structures, it is important to approach specific
neuronal target starting from the higher order brain structure for human
translation. The present study focuses on stimulating the lateral
cerebellar nucleus (LCN), which sends major cerebellar output to
extensive cortical regions.
Methods. In this study, in vivo
stroke mouse LCN was exposed to low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU).
After the LIFU exposure, animals underwent 4 weeks of rehabilitative
training.
Results. During the cerebellar LIFU session,
motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) were generated in both forelimbs
accompanying excitatory sonication parameter. LCN stimulation group on
day 1 after stroke significantly enhanced sensorimotor recovery compared
with the group without stimulation. The recovery has maintained for a
4-week period in 2 behavior tests. Furthermore, we observed a
significantly decreased level of brain edema and tissue swelling in the
affected hemisphere 3 days after the stroke.
Conclusions. This
study provides the first evidence showing that LIFU-induced cerebellar
modulation could be an important strategy for poststroke recovery. A
longer follow-up study is, however, necessary in order to fully confirm
the effects of LIFU on poststroke recovery.
No comments:
Post a Comment