Grant: Project Grant

Currently ~400,000 Canadians live with the after effects of stroke and stroke is the number one cause of disability. Despite often not having a full recovery from stroke, most people will have a remarkable improvement in function in the absence of any therapy. The problem is that this only occurs in the first few months after a stroke. This fact suggests that the brain has the ability to temporarily heal itself "naturally" through repairing and rebuilding connections between the cells in the brain called neurons. During recovery from a stroke regions of the brain reorganizing on their own. This suggests that we can enhance stroke recovery by stimulating new, active group of neurons. New treatments are being tested in patients that aim to strengthen the formation of new sets of neurons by stimulating the brain. These treatments appear promising yet only some patients get better. One reason why stimulation therapy may not always work is that we do not know which particular neurons need to be stimulated. This project will identify which neurons reorganize naturally during recovery and test if stimulating these neurons can improve recovery. Our work will be performed in animal models of strokes since there is no non-surgical method that allows us to manipulate or visualize individual neurons after a stroke in humans. We will determine which specific neurons participate in recovery from stroke and identify the timeline of brain reorganization following stroke. We are well suited to accomplish this task using special mice that allow us to 1) label and visualize individual neurons to see what neurons are active at any given time and 2) stimulate neurons in a live animal that is performing a behavior task. Thus, this fundamental study will not only shed light on the underlying mechanisms of stroke recovery, but also allow us to design better treatments for stroke recovery, so survivors will struggle less with disability and enjoy a better quality of life.