Rehabilitation after intracerebral hemorrhage in rats improves recovery with enhanced dendritic complexity but no effect on cell proliferation.

Rehabilitation, consisting of enriched environment and skilled reach training, improves recovery after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in rats. We tested whether rehabilitation influences dendritic morphology (Golgi-Cox staining-experiment 1) or cell proliferation (immunohistochemistry-experiment 2). In the latter experiment, BrdU was given from 14 to 18 days post stroke, and cells were labeled for BrdU along with NeuN, Iba1 or GFAP. One week after a striatal ICH, via collagenase infusion, the rats were given rehabilitation for 2 weeks or control treatment (group housing in standard cages). Behavioral outcome (e.g., skilled reaching, walking) was assessed at multiple times. Rats were euthanized at 5 (experiment 2) or 6 (experiment 1) weeks post-ICH. As expected, rehabilitation significantly improved skilled reaching and walking ability. There was also a concomitant increase in dendritic length in peri-hematoma striatum and ipsilateral cortex as well as in the contralateral striatum. Lesion volume did not differ between groups, nor did cell proliferation. There was no evidence of neurogenesis, but there was increased Iba1 and GFAP labeling in the injured hemisphere. Thus, rehabilitation likely improves outcome after ICH though a plasticity response (e.g., increased dendritic growth) that does not involve neurogenesis.

Auriat AM ，Wowk S ，Colbourne F 《-》

Delayed rehabilitation lessens brain injury and improves recovery after intracerebral hemorrhage in rats.

Auriat AM ，Colbourne F 《-》

Skilled reaching training promotes astroglial changes and facilitated sensorimotor recovery after collagenase-induced intracerebral hemorrhage.

Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the most devastating type of stroke and a leading cause of disability and mortality worldwide. Although rehabilitation improves recovery after ICH the cellular mechanisms involved are poorly understood. We decided to examine if skilled (SK) and unskilled (US) training after sham or intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) surgeries would induce GFAP+ astrocytic changes and whether these modifications can be associated with functional improvement. A 4-week course of motor training, involving either skilled and unskilled training began seven days after surgery; sensorimotor recovery was evaluated using Staircase, ladder walk and cylinder tests. Histological and morphometric analyses were used to assess GFAP+ cell bilaterally in forelimb sensorimotor cortex and dorsolateral striatum. All behavioral tests showed that ICH-SK rats experienced a greater degree of recovery when compared to ICH no task or ICH-US groups; no behavioral differences were found among all sham groups. Astrocytic density was increased in all analyzed structures for ICH no task, ICH-SK and ICH-US rats. Morphological analysis revealed an increased number of primary processes in ipsilateral (to lesion) sensorimotor cortex for all ICH groups. Present results also revealed that both ICH and SK induced an increased length of GFAP+ primary process; there was a further increase in length processes for ICH-SK group in sensorimotor cortex and ipsilateral striatum. We suggest that skilled reaching is an effective intervention to promote astrocytic plasticity and recovery after ICH.

Mestriner RG ，Pagnussat AS ，Boisserand LS ，Valentim L ，Netto CA ... -  《-》

Failure of estradiol to improve spontaneous or rehabilitation-facilitated recovery after hemorrhagic stroke in rats.

Nguyen AP ，Arvanitidis AP ，Colbourne F 《BRAIN RESEARCH》

Treadmill running improves motor function and alters dendritic morphology in the striatum after collagenase-induced intracerebral hemorrhage in rats.

It is well known that early rehabilitation is effective for functional recovery after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH); however, the mechanisms have not been well described. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effects of early rehabilitative therapy (treadmill running) on recovery of motor function and alteration of brain histology after ICH. Male Wistar rats, under deep anesthesia, were placed in a stereotaxic apparatus and injected with collagenase into the left striatum to induce ICH. Sham operated animals were treated with saline. All animals were randomly assigned to treadmill exercise (for 30 min/day, 9 m/min, between 4 and 14 days after surgery) and control and were designated to one of four groups: sham+control (SC), sham+treadmill (ST), ICH+control (IC), ICH+treadmill (IT). Motor deficit score (MDS) was assessed daily after surgery. Volume of tissue lost, dendritic morphology and PSD-95 protein level in the striatum were analyzed at 15 days after surgery. The MDS of IT was significantly improved compared with IC over time. There were no differences between IT and IC in the volume of tissue lost (IT: 63.8%, IC: 61.8%), spine density or PSD-95 protein level in the striatum. However, dendritic length was increased and arborization was more complex in the contralateral striatum of the IT than the IC group (IT: 1226 μm, IC: 937 μm). These data suggest that treadmill running improves motor function after ICH and that improvement may be related to alteration of dendritic morphology in the striatum.

Takamatsu Y ，Ishida A ，Hamakawa M ，Tamakoshi K ，Jung CG ，Ishida K ... -  《-》