Article 5 Flashcards
what is the key requirement for regaining sensory and motor function after a stroke?
surviving neural circuits must reorganize and form new connections
how do therapies that promote neural rewiring impact stroke recovery outcomes?
they lead to better functional outcomes in stroke recovery
why has most research focused on cortical circuits in stroke recovery?
cortical activity in the damaged hemisphere is depressed for several weeks after a stroke when sensorimotor deficits are most pronounced
what is the role of the thalamus in stroke recovery?
the thalamus is crucial for sensory-evoked cortical activity
what is the surprising fact about thalamocortical circuits that make them potential targets for stroke therapy?
they can be modified well into adult life, suggesting they could be targeted for stroke therapy
what happens to thalamic circuits during focal ischemia
reduces neural excitability in thalamic nuclei and leads to scattered cell death and gliosis
what is optogenetics?
a technique that uses light to manipulate specific neural circuits. allows precise control of neural activity
what brain pathologies have shown promise in being treated w optogenetics?
shown promise in treating retinal degenerative disease, epilepsy, pain, and psychiatric disorders
what have previous studies attempted w optogenetics in stroke recovery and what remained unknown?
focused on brief and localized stimulation of specific motor circuits (ChR2) using optogenetics.
-> precise impact of rewriting damaged circuits remained unknown
what were the primary goals of this study and what did it uncover about stroke effects?
aimed to understand how stroke disrupts thalamocortical connections. it found that stroke leads to a loss of synaptic connections in the peri-infarct cortex and dampens the excitability of thalamocortical boutons
what is the significance of the peri-infarct region in stroke recovery?
is crucial for the recovery of sensorimotor functions after a stroke
-> study focuses on this region to investigate the neural changes that occur during recovery
describe the experimental model used to induce stroke in this study
used focal photothrombotic stroke induced in the primary forelimb somatosensory cortex of mice as a model to mimic stroke conditions
what specific aspect of thalamocortical projections to FLS1 is the study trying to determine, and why is it important?
aimed to determine how much thalamic projections to FLS1 survive the focal stroke. important to understand how stroke affects these projections and potential implications for recovery
explain the method used to label and trace thalamocortical axons
thalamocortical axons were labeled using adeno-associated virus (AVV) and enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) to visualize their structure and track their pathways
which thalamic nuclei are likely the sources of thalamocortical projections to S1FL and how was this determined?
ventral posterior lateral (VPL) nucleus and the posterior medial (PoM) nucleus are likely sources based on the location of injection sites and known connectivity patterns
what was observed one week after the stroke in terms of axon density in the peri-infarct cortex?
significant reduction (>25%) in axon density in the peri-infarct cortex compared to baseline. this reduction persisted for 4 weeks after the stroke
describe the findings of the thalamus analysis after the stroke, and what does ‘reactive gliosis’ mean?
did not reveal signs of neuronal degeneration or cell loss.
-> reactive gliosis: refers to a response to injury characterized by glial cell activation and increased glial cell numbers
how did they label and visualize thalamocortical axons 5 weeks before injection?
were labeled w AAV to express GCaMP6s for calcium imaging and mCherry to visualize axon structure
what was the purpose of mapping the FLS1 and hindlimb sensory cortex using intrinsic optical signal (IOS) imaging before and after stroke?
was done to verify proper labeling of thalamic projections and assess changes in sensory cortex activity
why were mice w/o extensive axon labeling within the FLS1 cortex excluded?
ensures that study focuses on cases with proper thalamocortical axon labeling
what kind of sensory stimuli were used to test the responsiveness of thalamocortical boutons?
vibrotactile stimulation (1.5s at 100hz) of the contralateral forepaw was used
how did the responsiveness of thalamocortical boutons change after the focal stroke?
dropped at 1 week after stroke and remained below baseline for up to 4 weeks
what was the response of thalamocortical boutons to contralateral hindlimb stimulation?
relatively minimal compared to forepaw
did the stroke affect the latency of forelimb evoked responses and what does latency refer to?
did not significantly alter the latency of responses. latency refers to the time it takes for a response to occur after a stimulus
describe the changes observed in peak amplitude of responses following the stroke
there was an initial drop in the peak amplitude of responses 1-2 weeks after the stroke, followed by an increase during the recovery period