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(Stroke. 2007;38:840.)
© 2007 American Heart Association, Inc.

Stem Cells and Stroke Recovery: Introduction

Postinfarct Cortical Plasticity and Behavioral Recovery

Randolph J. Nudo, PhD

From the KU Medical Center, Landon Center on Aging, and Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, Kansas City, KS.

Correspondence to Randolph J. Nudo, KU Medical Center, Landon Center on Aging, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66160.

Abstract

Plasticity phenomena in the cerebral cortex after ischemic injury have been documented repeatedly over the past 2 decades both in animal models and in human stroke survivors. This review highlights many of the major neuroanatomic and neurophysiological changes that characterize poststroke plasticity in experimental animals. Spared regions adjacent to the infarct and far removed from the infarct undergo functional alterations that are modified by behavioral experience. Recent evidence is also reviewed, demonstrating that long-range intracortical pathways can be rerouted to completely novel territories. The implications of this new finding for understanding the brain’s capacity for recovery are discussed.

Key Words: animal models • basic science • cortical mapping • map cortex • neurophysiology • physiotherapy • plasticity • stroke recovery

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