Effect of acute-stage reach training after cerebral ischemia on the recovery of the front paw function in rats

• Grant number: 17/05499-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2017
• End date: June 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Thiago Luiz de Russo
• Grantee: Rafaella Mendes Zambetta
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Stroke is classified as the second leading cause of death and the main cause of acquired disability in adults, which affect reach movements, impacts negatively quality of life and, generating the individual's unproductiveness. Constraint-induced movement therapy has been recommended as one of the most efficient post-stroke treatment, independent of the post-injury phase. In addition, several studies indicate that spontaneous neural recovery is more intense in the first 30 days after stroke. Objective: To investigate how the intensity and periodization of the task-specific training with the contralateral forelimb in the acute phase post-injury may help or hinder the late functional forelimb recovery. Materials and methods: 65 animals will be equality divided into 5 groups: cerebral ischemia group (CI), cerebral ischemia group and training of 20 attempt (CI + T1x20), cerebral ischemia and training of 60 attempt (CI + T1x60), cerebral ischemia and training of 3 series of 20 attempt (CI + T3x20) and control group (C). Stroke in the sensoriomotor area related to the dominant forelimb will be induced through the application of endothelin-1. To learn the reach task, all animals will be trained with the forelimb contralateral to the lesion before the surgery. The groups will be submitted to surgery and to reach training - post surgical, except the control group. Tests to assess the asymmetry and function of the forelimb will be performed before injury, 4, 7 and 14 days after injury. Histological analyzes will be performed to confirm the ischemic lesion. Statistics: To evaluate the normality and homogeneity of the data, Shapiro-Wilk and Levene tests will be applied. For functional and behavioral tests, two-way Anova of repeated measures (groups x evaluation time) will be used for comparison before and after injury and training. The Pearson test will be used for correlations and a significance level of 5% will be considered. (AU)