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Evidence for a role of the reticulospinal system in recovery of skilled reaching after cortical stroke: initial results from a model of ischemic cortical injury

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Abstract

The purposes of this pilot study were to create a model of focal cortical ischemia in Macaca fascicularis and to explore contributions of the reticulospinal system in recovery of reaching. Endothelin-1 was used to create a focal lesion in the shoulder/elbow representation of left primary motor cortex (M1) of two adult female macaques. Repetitive microstimulation was used to map upper limb motor outputs from right and left cortical motor areas and from the pontomedullary reticular formation (PMRF). In subject 1 with a small lesion and spontaneous recovery, reaching was mildly impaired. Changes were evident in the shoulder/elbow representations of both the lesioned and contralesional M1, and there appeared to be fewer than expected upper limb responses from the left (ipsilesional) PMRF. In subject 2 with a substantial lesion, reaching was severely impaired immediately after the lesion. After 12 weeks of intensive rehabilitative training, reach performance recovered to near-baseline levels, but movement times remained about 50 % slower. Surprisingly, the shoulder/elbow representation in the lesioned M1 remained completely absent after recovery, and there was a little change in the contralesional M1. There was a definite difference in motor output patterns for left versus right PMRF for this subject, with an increase in right arm responses from right PMRF and a paucity of left arm responses from left PMRF. The results are consistent with increased reliance on PMRF motor outputs for recovery of voluntary upper limb motor control after significant cortical ischemic injury.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Stephanie Moran for excellent technical support, Lynnette Montgomery for assistance with data collection, Lyn Jakeman for guidance with Dr. Herbert’s dissertation project and the members of the ULAR staff who provided support during these surgeries. Funding for this project was provided by a Research Investment Fund award from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences to JA Buford and in part by PODS I and PODS II awards to WJ Herbert from the Foundation for Physical Therapy, Inc. The authors would also like to acknowledge the Small Animal Imaging Core: Supported in part by Grant NINDS/P30 Core Grant (NS045758), National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland.

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  1. Wendy J. Herbert

    Present address: Department of Physical Therapy Education, Elon University, Campus Box 2085, Elon, NC, 27244, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Physical Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences,, The Ohio State University, 453 W. 10th Ave., Rm. 516G, Columbus, OH, 43210-1234, USA

    Wendy J. Herbert & John A. Buford

  2. Health and Rehabilitation Sciences PhD Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Wendy J. Herbert & John A. Buford

  3. Small Animal Imaging Core, Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Kimerly Powell

  4. Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Repair, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    John A. Buford

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Correspondence to John A. Buford.

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Herbert, W.J., Powell, K. & Buford, J.A. Evidence for a role of the reticulospinal system in recovery of skilled reaching after cortical stroke: initial results from a model of ischemic cortical injury. Exp Brain Res 233, 3231–3251 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-015-4390-x

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