Jennifer I. Wood1,2, Suresh E. Joel1,3,
Michael T. McMahon1,2, James J. Pekar1,2, Galit Pelled,
2,4
1F.M. Kirby Research Center for
Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United
States; 2The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and
Radiological Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,
Baltimore, MD, United States; 3The Russell H. Morgan Department of
Radiology and Radiological Sciences,
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United
States; 4F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging,
Kennedy Krieger Institute , Baltimore,
MD, United States
Human
and animal studies suggest the involvement of the transcallosal projection in
shaping neuroplasticity following injury may be crucial in dictating the
rehabilitation probability. This study was designed to investigate the role
of the transcallosal pathways in mediating neuroplasticity following injury
in a rat model of sensory deprivation. Using fMRI, we have studied the time
course and the age-dependency of which the transcallosal projections effect
cortical reorganization. The results demonstrate that the transcallosal
projections involvement in neuroplasticity varies dependent on the age and
the time following the injury and may introduce a critical consideration when
choosing the right rehabilitation strategy.