BACKGROUND: In human upper-limb stroke, initial level of functional impairment or corticospinal tract injury can accurately predict the degree of poststroke recovery, independent of rehabilitation practices. This proportional recovery rule implies that current rehabilitation practices may play little or no role in brain repair, with recovery largely a result of spontaneous biological recovery processes. OBJECTIVE: The present study sought to determine if similar biomarkers predict recovery of poststroke function in rats, indicating that an endogenous biological recovery process might be preserved across mammalian species. METHODS: Using a cohort of 593 male Sprague-Dawley rats, we predicted poststroke change in pellet retrieval in the Montoya staircase-reaching task based on initial impairment alone. Stratification of the sample into "fitters" and "nonfitters" of the proportional recovery rule using hierarchical cluster analysis allowed identification of distinguishing characteristics of these subgroups. RESULTS: Approximately 30% of subjects were identified as fitters of the rule. These rats showed recovery in proportion to their initial level of impairment of 66% (95% CI = 62%-70%). This interval overlaps with those of multiple human clinical trials. A number of variables, including less severe infarct volumes and initial poststroke impairments distinguished fitters of the rule from nonfitters. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that proportional recovery is a cross-species phenomenon that can be used to uncover biological mechanisms contributing to stroke recovery.
BACKGROUND: In humanupper-limb stroke, initial level of functional impairment or corticospinal tract injury can accurately predict the degree of poststroke recovery, independent of rehabilitation practices. This proportional recovery rule implies that current rehabilitation practices may play little or no role in brain repair, with recovery largely a result of spontaneous biological recovery processes. OBJECTIVE: The present study sought to determine if similar biomarkers predict recovery of poststroke function in rats, indicating that an endogenous biological recovery process might be preserved across mammalian species. METHODS: Using a cohort of 593 male Sprague-Dawley rats, we predicted poststroke change in pellet retrieval in the Montoya staircase-reaching task based on initial impairment alone. Stratification of the sample into "fitters" and "nonfitters" of the proportional recovery rule using hierarchical cluster analysis allowed identification of distinguishing characteristics of these subgroups. RESULTS: Approximately 30% of subjects were identified as fitters of the rule. These rats showed recovery in proportion to their initial level of impairment of 66% (95% CI = 62%-70%). This interval overlaps with those of multiple human clinical trials. A number of variables, including less severe infarct volumes and initial poststroke impairments distinguished fitters of the rule from nonfitters. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that proportional recovery is a cross-species phenomenon that can be used to uncover biological mechanisms contributing to stroke recovery.
Authors: Matthew S Jeffers; Boris Touvykine; Allyson Ripley; Gillian Lahey; Anthony Carter; Numa Dancause; Dale Corbett Journal: J Neurosci Date: 2020-06-30 Impact factor: 6.167
Authors: Gustavo Balbinot; Clarissa Pedrini Schuch; Matthew S Jeffers; Matthew W McDonald; Jessica M Livingston-Thomas; Dale Corbett Journal: Sci Rep Date: 2018-06-07 Impact factor: 4.379
Authors: Matthew W McDonald; Kathryn S Hayward; Ingrid C M Rosbergen; Matthew S Jeffers; Dale Corbett Journal: Front Behav Neurosci Date: 2018-07-11 Impact factor: 3.558
Authors: Michel R T Sinke; Geralda A F van Tilborg; Anu E Meerwaldt; Caroline L van Heijningen; Annette van der Toorn; Milou Straathof; Fazle Rakib; Mohamed H M Ali; Khalid Al-Saad; Willem M Otte; Rick M Dijkhuizen Journal: Neurorehabil Neural Repair Date: 2021-09-21 Impact factor: 3.919