title: Robot-assisted mechanical therapy attenuates stroke-induced limb skeletal muscle injury.
abstract: The efficacy and optimization of poststroke physical therapy paradigms is challenged in part by a lack of objective tools available to researchers for systematic preclinical testing. This work represents a maiden effort to develop a robot-assisted mechanical therapy (RAMT) device to objectively address the significance of mechanical physiotherapy on poststroke outcomes. Wistar rats were subjected to right hemisphere middle-cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion. After 24 h, rats were split into control (RAMT-) or RAMT+groups (30 min daily RAMT over the stroke-affected gastrocnemius) and were followed up to poststroke d 14. RAMT+increased perfusion 1.5-fold in stroke-affected gastrocnemius as compared to RAMT-controls. Furthermore, RAMT+rats demonstrated improved poststroke track width (11% wider), stride length (21% longer), and travel distance (61% greater), as objectively measured using software-automated testing platforms. Stroke injury acutely increased myostatin (3-fold) and lowered brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression (0.6-fold) in the stroke-affected gastrocnemius, as compared to the contralateral one. RAMT attenuated the stroke-induced increase in myostatin and increased BDNF expression in skeletal muscle. Additional RAMT-sensitive myokine targets in skeletal muscle (IL-1ra and IP-10/CXCL10) were identified from a cytokine array. Taken together, outcomes suggest stroke acutely influences signal transduction in hindlimb skeletal muscle. Regimens based on mechanical therapy have the clear potential to protect hindlimb function from such adverse influence.-Sen, C. K., Khanna, S., Harris, H., Stewart, R., Balch, M., Heigel, M., Teplitsky, S., Gnyawali, S., Rink, C. Robot-assisted mechanical therapy attenuates stroke-induced limb skeletal muscle injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Chandan K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Sen
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Savita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khanna
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Hallie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balch
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Mallory
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heigel
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Seth
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Teplitsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Surya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gnyawali
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA cameron.rink@osumc.edu.
authors.forename: Cameron
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rink
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055435:Myostatin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000295:instrumentation*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D016207:Cytokines; D055435:Myostatin
keywords: cerebrovascular accident; ischemia; physical therapy; rehabilitation