title: Modulation of brain plasticity in stroke: a novel model for neurorehabilitation.
abstract: Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques can be used to monitor and modulate the excitability of intracortical neuronal circuits. Long periods of cortical stimulation can produce lasting effects on brain function, paving the way for therapeutic applications of NIBS in chronic neurological disease. The potential of NIBS in stroke rehabilitation has been of particular interest, because stroke is the main cause of permanent disability in industrial nations, and treatment outcomes often fail to meet the expectations of patients. Despite promising reports from many clinical trials on NIBS for stroke recovery, the number of studies reporting a null effect remains a concern. One possible explanation is that the interhemispheric competition model--which posits that suppressing the excitability of the hemisphere not affected by stroke will enhance recovery by reducing interhemispheric inhibition of the stroke hemisphere, and forms the rationale for many studies--is oversimplified or even incorrect. Here, we critically review the proposed mechanisms of synaptic and functional reorganization after stroke, and suggest a bimodal balance-recovery model that links interhemispheric balancing and functional recovery to the structural reserve spared by the lesion. The proposed model could enable NIBS to be tailored to the needs of individual patients.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology, Campus Bio-Medico University, Via Álvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Pino
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology, Campus Bio-Medico University, Via Álvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pellegrino
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology, Campus Bio-Medico University, Via Álvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Assenza
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology, Campus Bio-Medico University, Via Álvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Fioravante
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Capone
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology, Campus Bio-Medico University, Via Álvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Florinda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferreri
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biomedical Robotics and Biomicrosystem, Center for Integrated Research, Campus Bio-Medico University, Via Álvaro del Portillo 28, 00128 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Formica
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology, Campus Bio-Medico University, Via Álvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ranieri
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology, Campus Bio-Medico University, Via Álvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tombini
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology &Stroke, and Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Eberhard Karls-University Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Strasse 3, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ziemann
authors.affiliation: Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rothwell
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology, Campus Bio-Medico University, Via Álvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Di Lazzaro
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D065908:Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*