A chronic treatment with CDP-choline improves functional recovery and increases neuronal plasticity after experimental stroke.

Chronic impairment of forelimb and digit movement is a common problem after stroke that is resistant to therapy. Although in the last years some studies have been performed to increase the efficacy of rehabilitative experience and training, the pharmacological approaches in this context remain poorly developed. We decided to study the effect of a chronic treatment with CDP-choline, a safe and well-tolerated drug that is known to stabilize membranes, on functional outcome and neuromorphological changes after stroke. To assess the functional recovery we have performed the staircase reaching test and the elevated body swing test (EBST), for studying sensorimotor integration and asymmetrical motor function respectively. The treatment with CDP-choline, initiated 24 h after the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and maintained during 28 days, improved the functional outcome in both the staircase test (MCAO+CDP=87.0+/-6.6% pellets eaten vs. MCAO+SAL=40.0+/-4.5%; p<0.05) and the EBST (MCAO+CDP=70.0+/-6.8% vs. MCAO+SAL=88.0+/-5.4%; contralateral swing p<0.05). In addition, to study potential neuronal substrates of the improved function, we examined the dendritic morphology of layer V pyramidal cells in the undamaged motor cortex using a Golgi-Cox procedure. The animals treated with CDP-choline showed enhanced dendritic complexity and spine density compared with saline group. Our results suggest that a chronic treatment with CDP-choline initiated 24 h after the insult is able to increase the neuronal plasticity within noninjured and functionally connected brain regions as well as to promote functional recovery.