Lead author Anna Wiersma of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute and associate professor of psychiatry Ian Winship injected chondroitinase ABC into the spinal cords of rats after they suffered stroke and found they could enhance recovery by inducing amplified rewiring of circuits connecting the brain to the spinal cord. When they combined this spinal therapy with rehabilitative training, recovery was further amplified.
"This approach is still a long way from the clinic," stressed Winship, "but this gives us real evidence that there are things we can do for people with permanent disability after stroke."
This research was funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Alberta Innovates.