Plasticity beyond peri-infarct cortex: Spinal up regulation of structural plasticity, neurotrophins, and inflammatory cytokines during recovery from cortical stroke.

Plasticity beyond peri-infarct cortex: Spinal up regulation of structural plasticity, neurotrophins, and inflammatory cytokines during recovery from cortical stroke. Exp Neurol. 2013 Nov 26; Authors: Sist B, Fouad K, Winship IR Abstract Stroke induces pathophysiological and adaptive processes in regions proximal and distal to the infarct. Recent studies suggest that plasticity at the level of the spinal cord may contribute to sensorimotor recovery after cortical stroke. Here, we compare the time course of heightened structural plasticity in the spinal cord against the temporal profile of cortical plasticity and spontaneous behavioral recovery. To examine the relation between trophic and inflammatory effectors and spinal structural plasticity, spinal expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) was measured. Growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43), measured at 3, 7, 14, or 28days after photothrombotic stroke of the forelimb sensorimotor cortex (FL-SMC) to provide an index of periods of heightened structural plasticity, varied as a function of lesion size and time after stroke in the cortical hemispheres and the spinal cord. Notably, GAP-43 levels in the cervical spinal cord were significantly increased after FL-SMC lesion, but the temporal window of elevated structural plasticity was more finite in spinal cord relative to ipsilesional cortical expression...
Source: Experimental Neurology - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Exp Neurol Source Type: research