Rehabilitative skilled forelimb training enhances axonal remodeling in the corticospinal pathway but not the brainstem-spinal pathways after photothrombotic stroke in the primary motor cortex

This study investigates how rehabilitative training affects the brain after a stroke in rats. Specifically, it looks at whether the training helps the brain reorganize its connections, particularly in pathways related to movement. The researchers focused on two main pathways: the corticospinal pathway (important for skilled movements) and the brainstem-spinal pathways (involved in more basic motor control). They wanted to see if training could improve these pathways after a stroke. The results showed that rehabilitative training improved motor skills and increased the number of nerve cells connected in the corticospinal pathway. However, the training did not significantly change the connections in the brainstem-spinal pathways, suggesting that the corticospinal pathway is more critical for recovery in this type of training.

• 1
  Rehabilitative skilled forelimb training improved motor performance specifically in the skilled forelimb reaching task, but not in other general motor tasks like the cylinder test or ladder walk test.
• 2
  The training significantly increased the number of Fast blue-positive neurons (indicating axonal remodeling) in the ipsilesional rostral forelimb area and secondary sensory cortex.
• 3
  Rehabilitative training did not significantly alter the number of Fast blue-positive neurons in any areas of the brainstem, suggesting that brainstem plasticity is not a primary driver of task-specific recovery in this model.