Neurobiology of Recovery of Motor Function after Stroke: The Central Nervous System Biomarker Effects of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy.

Neurobiology of Recovery of Motor Function after Stroke: The Central Nervous System Biomarker Effects of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy. Neural Plast. 2020;2020:9484298 Authors: Abdullahi A, Truijen S, Saeys W Abstract Recovery of motor function after stroke involves many biomarkers. This review attempts to identify the biomarker effects responsible for recovery of motor function following the use of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) and discuss their implications for research and practice. From the studies reviewed, the biomarker effects identified include improved perfusion of motor areas and brain glucose metabolism; increased expression of proteins, namely, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), and Growth-Associated Protein 43 (GAP-43); and decreased level of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA). Others include increased cortical activation, increased motor map size, and decreased interhemispheric inhibition of the ipsilesional hemisphere by the contralesional hemisphere. Interestingly, the biomarker effects correlated well with improved motor function. However, some of the biomarker effects have not yet been investigated in humans, and they require that CIMT starts early on poststroke. In addition, one study seems to suggest the combined use of CIMT with other rehabilitation techniques such as Transcortical Direct Stimulation (tDCs) in patients with chronic stroke to achieve...
Source: Neural Plasticity - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Neural Plast Source Type: research