Researchers have found that there is a short window for brain repair to be most effective after a stroke, which peaked at two weeks after the incident.
Brain scans conducted by the study showed that the brains of stroke survivors retained plasticity and an improved ability to rewire itself, the first time this had been observed in humans. The study took place in Adelaide and London.
The researchers regularly scanned the brains of 60 stroke survivors as they recovered over a period of 12 months. To assess neural plasticity, the researchers repeatedly activated the brain’s motor cortex using continuous transcranial magnetic stimulation (cTBS). The laboratory in London tested the non-damaged motor cortex, which is also important for stroke recovery while the one in Adelaide tested the damaged motor cortex. In the first few days following an ischaemic stroke, the brain had greater plasticity.
“Earlier animal studies suggested this was the case, but this is the first time we have conclusively demonstrated this phenomenon exists in humans,” Dr Hordacre said.
Only eight minutes of daily rehabilitation time after a stroke is spent on the upper limbs.
“Delivering more treatment within this brief window is needed to help people recover after a stroke,” Dr Hordacre said. “The next step is to identify techniques which prolong or even re-open a period of increased brain plasticity, so we can maximise recovery.”
Source: News-Medical.Net
Journal information: Hordacre, B., et al. (2021) Evidence for a Window of Enhanced Plasticity in the Human Motor Cortex Following Ischemic Stroke. doi.org/10.1177/1545968321992330.
