title: Wheel-running modestly promotes functional recovery after a unilateral cortical lesion in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We aimed to determine whether early or delayed wheel-running (W) after a cortical lesion in rats influences functional recovery and protein expression involving synaptic plasticity.
  
  
  METHODS
  57 rats were arranged in 4 groups: (1) Sham, (2) NMDA, (3) W-24 h or (4) W-72 h (W-24 h and W-72 h means wheel-running for 14 days starting day 1 or day 3 after NMDA lesion). NMDA produced a standardized lesion in the unilateral sensorimotor cortex and detectable behavioral deficits. Synaptogenesis was measured by immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Wheel-running starting after 24 h had no detectable effect, but it significantly speeded functional recovery when delayed to after 72 h. These results were in accordance with a marker linked to synaptogenesis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Wheel-running starting 3 days, but not 1 day, after an NMDA lesion is associated with improved functional recovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Texas, Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Xiurong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Jaroslaw
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aronowski
authors.forename: Shi-Jie
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schallert
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Strong
authors.forename: Zhi-Shuo
authors.initials: ZS
authors.lastname: Ou
authors.forename: Theresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Grotta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000293:injuries*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007839:Functional Laterality; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012420:Running