Motor activity-mediated partial recovery in ischemic rats.

Spontaneous partial recovery in motor and/or cognitive dysfunctions in stroke patients has been documented, but the factors that affect such functional improvement have not been well elucidated. The present study demonstrates that repeated behavioral testing (daily or once a week over a period of 4 weeks) promoted partial recovery from motor asymmetry in adult ischemic rats. In contrast, ischemic animals that were only tested once every 2 weeks or once after 4 weeks did not show such partial recovery. These results suggest that repeated behavioral testing (i.e., increased use of the ischemia-affected limbs and body parts) may contribute to partial recovery of motor deficits following an experimental stroke, even in the absence of pharmacological therapeutic intervention.