Using a Reach Quality Analysis, How Does Intermittent Exercise and Rehabilitation Affect the Range of Motion in C57BL/6 Mice Post Ischemic Stroke?

Stroke affects more than 795,000 Americans each year, and it is estimated that one out of every eighteen deaths in the United States is caused by a stroke. A stroke is classified as a depletion of oxygen to the brain, which can last for 24 hours or longer causing brain cells to die and impacting the function of the brain. The most frequent type of stroke is an ischemic stroke, which is defined as an occlusion in the cerebral artery. The most frequent, chronic deficit reported by stroke survivors is upper limb impairment. One thing that contributes to chronic upper limb impairment is compensatory use of the unimpaired limb after injury. Although compensatory limb use permits return to independent daily living, it has been found to have detrimental effects on the ultimate functional outcome of the impaired limb in both humans and rodent models. Exercise has been proposed as an adjunctive therapy that may permit compensatory limb use without sacrificing the recovery potential of the impaired limb. Data from our lab indicate that 24-hour wheel access (i.e., voluntary exercise) ameliorates the negative effects of compensatory training in mice. However, this represents a tremendous amount of exercise. The current study was designed to assess the effects of intermittent wheel access during compensatory limb training on functional outcome of the impaired limb. We focus specifically on a skilled reaching task in mice that has demonstrated similarities to human reaching movements. This permits analysis not only of functional outcome but also reach quality in an effort to assess whether or not mice exhibit true recovery following exercise and compensatory limb use