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Yu J, Joo IL, Bazzigaluppi P, Koletar MM, Cherin E, Stanisz AG, Graham JWC, Demore C, Stefanovic B. Micro-ultrasound based characterization of cerebrovasculature following focal ischemic stroke and upon short-term rehabilitation. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2024; 44:461-476. [PMID: 37974304 PMCID: PMC10981404 DOI: 10.1177/0271678x231215004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Notwithstanding recanalization treatments in the acute stage of stroke, many survivors suffer long-term impairments. Physical rehabilitation is the only widely available strategy for chronic-stage recovery, but its optimization is hindered by limited understanding of its effects on brain structure and function. Using micro-ultrasound, behavioral testing, and electrophysiology, we investigated the impact of skilled reaching rehabilitation on cerebral hemodynamics, motor function, and neuronal activity in a rat model of focal ischemic stroke. A 50 MHz micro-ultrasound transducer and intracortical electrophysiology were utilized to characterize neurovascular changes three weeks following focal ischemia elicited by endothelin-1 injection into the sensorimotor cortex. Sprague-Dawley rats were rehabilitated through tray reaching, and their fine skilled reaching was assessed via the Montoya staircase. Focal ischemia led to a sustained deficit in forelimb reaching; and increased tortuosity of the penetrating vessels in the perilesional cortex; with no lateralization of spontaneous neuronal activity. Rehabilitation improved skilled reaching; decreased cortical vascularity; was associated with elevated peri- vs. contralesional hypercapnia-induced flow homogenization and increased perilesional spontaneous cortical neuronal activity. Our study demonstrated neurovascular plasticity accompanying rehabilitation-elicited functional recovery in the subacute stage following stroke, and multiple micro-ultrasound-based markers of cerebrovascular structure and function modified in recovery from ischemia and upon rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnson Yu
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Physical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Illsung L Joo
- Physical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Paolo Bazzigaluppi
- Physical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- MetaCell, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Margaret M Koletar
- Physical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Emmanuel Cherin
- Physical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrew G Stanisz
- Physical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - James WC Graham
- Physical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christine Demore
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Physical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bojana Stefanovic
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Physical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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