Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase-Dependent Neurotoxic Kynurenine Metabolism Contributes to Poststroke Depression Induced in Mice by Ischemic Stroke along with Spatial Restraint Stress.

Aim: Poststroke depression (PSD), which occurs in approximately one-third of stroke survivors, is clinically important because of its association with slow functional recovery and increased mortality. In addition, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are still poorly understood.

Methods: We used a mouse model of PSD to examine the neurobiological mechanisms of PSD and the beneficial effects of aripiprazole, an atypical antipsychotic drug.

Combination of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy with Electroacupuncture Improves Functional Recovery following Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury in Rats.

Aim: Neonatal hypoxic-ischemia (HI) due to insufficient oxygen supply and blood flow during the prenatal and postnatal periods can cause cerebral palsy, a serious developmental condition. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of combining constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) and electroacupuncture to treat rat neonatal HI brain injury.

Methods: The left common carotid arteries of postnatal day 7 rats were ligated to induce HI brain injury, and the neonates were kept in a hypoxia chamber containing 8% oxygen for 2 hrs.

Histological and functional assessment of the efficacy of constraint-induced movement therapy in rats following neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.

Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) is used in stroke rehabilitation to promote recovery of upper limb motor function. However, its efficacy in improving functional outcomes in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy has not been clearly determined in clinical or experimental research. The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy of a new experimental model of CIMT, evaluated in terms of mortality, stress, motor and cognitive function in rats having undergone a neonatal hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury.