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The Journal of Neuroscience, August 12, 2009, 29(32):10081-10086; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1638-09.2009

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Brief Communications
Neuronal Circuit Remodeling in the Contralateral Cortical Hemisphere during Functional Recovery from Cerebral Infarction

Yusuke Takatsuru,^1,3 Dai Fukumoto,⁵ Miki Yoshitomo,¹ Tomomi Nemoto,^2,3,4 Hideo Tsukada,⁵ and Junichi Nabekura^1,3,4

¹Division of Homeostatic Development and ²Supportive Center for Brain Research, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan, ³Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi 332-0012, Japan, ⁴The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, Kanagawa 240-0193, Japan, and ⁵Central Research Laboratory, Hamamatsu Photonics, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 434-8601, Japan

Correspondence should be addressed to Prof. Junichi Nabekura, Department of Developmental Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, 38 Nishigonaka Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan. Email: nabekura{at}nips.ac.jp

Recent advances in functional imaging of human brain activity in stroke patients, e.g., functional magnetic resonance imaging, have revealed that cortical hemisphere contralateral to the infarction plays an important role in the recovery process. However, underlying mechanisms occurring in contralateral hemisphere during functional recovery have not been elucidated. We experimentally induced a complete infarction of somatosensory cortex in right hemisphere of mice and examined the neuronal changes in contralateral (left) somatosensory cortex during recovery. Both basal and ipsilateral somatosensory stimuli-evoked neuronal activity in left (intact) hemisphere transiently increased 2 d after stroke, followed by an increase in the turnover rate of usually stable mushroom-type synaptic spines at 1 week, observed by using two-photon imaging in vivo. At 4 weeks after stroke, when functional recovery had occurred, a new pattern of electrical circuit activity in response to somatosensory stimuli was established in intact ipsilateral hemisphere. Thus, the left somatosensory cortex can compensate for the loss of the right somatosensory cortex by remodeling neuronal circuits and establishing new sensory processing. This finding could contribute to establish the effective clinical treatments targeted on the intact hemisphere for the recovery of impaired functions and to achieve better quality of life of patients.

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Received April 6, 2009; revised May 27, 2009; accepted July 6, 2009.

Correspondence should be addressed to Prof. Junichi Nabekura, Department of Developmental Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, 38 Nishigonaka Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan. Email: nabekura{at}nips.ac.jp

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