The diversity and plasticity of descending motor pathways rewired after stroke and trauma in rodents

Descending neural pathways to the spinal cord plays vital roles in motor control. They are often damaged by brain injuries such as stroke and trauma, which lead to severe motor impairments. Accumulating evidence shows that residual circuits of the descending pathways are dynamically reorganized after injury and contribute to motor recovery. Understanding the basic structural and functional properties of each descending pathway and the principles of the induction and outcome of the rewired circuits will provide therapeutic insights to enhance interactive rewiring of the multiple descending pathways for motor recovery.

• 1
  The corticospinal tract (CST), rubrospinal tract (RbST), and reticulospinal tract (RtST) are three major descending pathways that serve as neural substrates for recovery.
• 2
  Damage to the CST caused by stroke, spinal cord injury (SCI), or experimental transection called pyramidotomy leads to motor impairments
• 3
  The RtST plays pivotal roles in locomotor control.