Abstract
Stroke is often characterized by incomplete recovery and chronic motor impairments. A nonhuman primate model of cortical ischemia was used to evaluate the feasibility of using device-assisted cortical stimulation combined with rehabilitative training to enhance behavioral recovery and cortical plasticity. Following pre-infarct training on a unimanual motor task, maps of movement representations in primary motor cortex were derived. Then, an ischemic infarct was produced which destroyed the hand representation. Several weeks later, a second cortical map was derived to guide implantation of a surface electrode over peri-infarct motor cortex. After several months of spontaneous recovery, monkeys underwent subthreshold electrical stimulation combined with rehabilitative training for several weeks. Post-therapy behavioral performance was tracked for several additional months. A third cortical map was derived several weeks post-therapy to examine changes in motor representations. Monkeys showed significant improvements in motor performance (success, speed, and efficiency) following therapy, which persisted for several months. Cortical mapping revealed large-scale emergence of new hand representations in peri-infarct motor cortex, primarily in cortical tissue underlying the electrode. Results support the feasibility of using a therapy approach combining peri-infarct electrical stimulation with rehabilitative training to alleviate chronic motor deficits and promote recovery from cortical ischemic injury.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 801-810 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Neurological Research |
Volume | 25 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 1 2003 |
Keywords
- Electrical stimulation
- ICMS
- Ischemic stroke
- Motor cortex
- Motor recovery
- Squirrel monkey
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neurology
- Clinical Neurology