Neonatal stroke in rats impairs behaviour, anatomy, and neurophysiology in adulthood

Abstract

In Canada, every ten minutes someone will have a stroke injury to the brain. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada 15% of the patients will die and only 10% of patients will recover normal behaviour completely. The remaining 75% of stroke patients will experience one or many cognitive and motor neurological deficits. This thesis examines a rat model of human perinatal stroke populations most at risk to study the long-term behavioural, neurophysiological, and anatomical outcomes in maturity. Evidence is provided showing that the nature of motor deficits is dependent on the age- of-stroke and earlier ages do not lead to better outcomes. These data are important because they show that motor learning requires an optimal organization of the motor cortex to support motor behaviours. Early experiences, such as a stroke, can impair motor skills and the organization and function of the motor system in adulthood.