Livin' on the edge: imaging dendritic spine turnover in the peri-infarct zone during ischemic stroke and recovery.
The spontaneous recovery of sensory, motor, and cognitive functions after stroke is thought to be mediated primarily through the reorganization and rewiring of surviving brain circuits. Given that dendritic spine turnover underlies rewiring during normal development and plasticity, this process is likely to play a key role in mediating functional changes that occur during and after stroke. Recently, a new approach has been taken using two-photon microscopy to monitor, in real time, the temporal and spatial progression of dendritic plasticity in the living animal, both while it is experiencing the initial ischemic episode as well as during long-term recovery from stroke damage. Here, we highlight recent evidence showing that stroke can trigger extensive changes in the relatively hardwired adult brain. For example, when dendrites are challenged by acute ischemia, they can disintegrate within minutes of ischemia and rapidly reassemble during reperfusion. Over longer time scales, dendrites in the surviving peri-infarct zone show heightened levels of spine turnover for many weeks after stroke, thereby raising the possibility that future stroke therapies may be able to facilitate or optimize dendritic rewiring to improve functional recovery.
Department of Psychiatry, Brain Research Center University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. craigbro@interchange.ubc.ca
Craig E
CE
Brown
Timothy H
TH
Murphy
D000818:Animals; D020520:Brain Infarction / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D049229:Dendritic Spines / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors