Cortical Simulation Article

Today, I read an article since I didn't get to go into MUSC. The article was definitely challenging, more so than the others I have read. It talked primarily about "CS" which is the abbreviation for cortical simulation. The doctors tested how CS would and wouldn't affect rats that were severely injured or hardly injured. They realized that it was pretty affective. Stimulating the cortex to help the rat with rehab varied directly. When the rat was severely affected by the stroke, more stimulation was needed and rehab had to be more carefully administered. When the rat was barely affected or injured by the stroke, a lesser amount of stimulation was needed. It also talked a relatively large amount about synaptic plasticity which I found out is "the ability of neurons to change strength". Thus, in rehab and through stimulation, the rat can recover from his or her stroke. So those were the main things I learned from the article. The numbers were another challenge to configure, but with a little patience, I was able to figure them out for the most part. That's basically it for now. I have an exciting few weeks ahead consisting of lots of time at MUSC, some trips to Roper, and a couple of lunch meeting with different doctors.

Article-

Motor cortical stimulation promotes synaptic plasticity and behavioral improvements following sensorimotor cortex lesions

DeAnna L. Adkins a,b,⁎,1, J. Edward Hsu a,1, Theresa A. Jones a,b a Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, TX 78712, USA
b Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, TX 78712, USA Received 29 August 2007; revised 16 January 2008; accepted 29 January 2008
Available online 20 February 2008