The Technology
Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability globally, and often severely reduces quality of life by causing physical impairments that affect neuromuscular function. To date, treatment for stroke is limited, and often, interventions are improper with respect to patient selection, timing, and dose. These limitations may arise due to lack of information on the patient-specific brain environment that may be conducive or unfavorable to recovery. Currently, the neurological processes that determine the extent of biological recovery are not well understood; however, neurotransmitter balance has been shown to represent plasticity in the post-stroke brain environment, vital to positive clinical outcomes, and thus may hold the key to the recovery mechanism. The balance between main neurochemicals in the brain, GABA (the main inhibitory neurotransmitter), glutamate (Glx; the main excitatory neurotransmitter) and glutathione (GSH; plays crucial roles in the antioxidant defense system and the maintenance of redox homeostasis in neurons), which are responsible for excitatory and inhibitory signaling, respectively, and whose proper balance is essential for normal neurological functioning, is known to be disrupted by stroke, and has been correlated to plasticity. In this study, which is the first to assess the long-term changes of neurochemicals in the acute and subacute phases of the stroke, we used magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), a non-invasive valuable tool to estimate biochemical processes in the human brain and were able to detect significant changes in the level of GSH during the recovery stage. Critically, the change in GSH was positively correlated with the level of motor functions. Our findings suggest that the level of GSH early after stroke might be a valuable biomarker for motor recovery, and that targeting GSH by therapeutic neuromodulation (e.g., drugs) might hold promise for future personalized rehabilitation protocols.
Advantages
- Personalized Stroke Recovery
- Advancing Rehabilitation Protocols
- Non-invasive Monitoring and Early Intervention
Applications and Opportunities
- Biomarker-Driven Rehabilitation: The use of GSH as a biomarker opens opportunities for developing personalized rehabilitation protocols that align with individual recovery trajectories.
- Development of Targeted Therapies: Insights into GSH’s role in motor recovery enable the creation of novel therapeutic interventions, including drugs or neuromodulation techniques, to improve stroke outcomes.
- Enhanced Diagnostic Tools: Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) offers a non-invasive method for monitoring neurochemical changes, providing clinicians with actionable data to refine treatment plans.
- Broader Neurological Applications: The findings could be extended to other conditions involving neurotransmitter imbalances, such as traumatic brain injuries or neurodegenerative diseases, expanding the scope of treatment opportunities.
- Data-Driven Healthcare: Integrating GSH monitoring into clinical practice encourages the adoption of precision medicine approaches, transforming stroke rehabilitation into a more systematic and outcome-focused process.
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