Carmichael Laboratory
Neural Repair after Stroke
Department of Neurology, Brain Research Institute
Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
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Carmichael Laboratory
Neural Repair after Stroke
Department of Neurology, Brain Research Institute Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA |
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Carmichael Lab Links: Images
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Overview Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability. Approximately 75% people survive their initial stroke, but few recover completely. Of these survivors, 60% have weakness on one side (hemiparesis), 26% are dependent in activities of daily living and 26% are forced into a nursing home. This long-term disability means that $30 billion of the $53.5 billion annual dollar cost of stroke is incurred in supporting stroke survivors. As the population ages, the number of stroke survivors is expected to reach all-time highs1. Stroke is caused when a blood clot blocks flow in a brain artery and produces an area of local damage (right panel above, MRI, T1-weighted sequence). The distribution of blood in the brain has been known since at least the time of Vesalius (circa 1543, middle panel above) and can now be imaged with high resolution in minutes (magnetic resonance angiogram, left panel above). While the ability to image blood vessels and stroke has advanced, and there has been much research focused on the mechanisms of cell death in stroke, there has been comparatively little research directed towards mechanisms of neurological recovery. The laboratory of Dr. S. Thomas Carmichael studies the mechanisms of brain repair and functional recovery after stroke. Recent research has led to the surprising discoveries that the adult brain is capable of forming new connections after stroke (termed axonal sprouting) and is capable of recruiting adult brain stem cells to areas of injury (termed post-stroke neurogenesis). If properly harnessed, these two processes hold the promise of regenerating and reconnecting brain cells near areas of injury. We are determining the molecules that control axonal sprouting and neurogenesis, so that new therapies can be developed that promote brain repair after stroke. The fact that the adult brain is capable of axonal sprouting and neurogenesis after stroke indicates that stroke induces a region of great structural change, or plasticity, near areas of damage. In a third avenue of investigation, the laboratory is identifying these areas of brain plasticity after stroke as candidate regions for neural stem cell transplantation to promote recovery and restoration of function after stroke
1-American Heart Association, Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update 2005.; Broderick. Stroke. 35:205
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