Biography
Biography: Reem Basuodan
Abstract
The incidence of stroke is higher perinatally compared to any other time of life 1. Approximately 60% of children who suffer from perinatal stroke develop hemiplegic cerebral palsy 2. The impact on individuals and their families is substantial 3. The lack of bimanual dexterity in those affected has lifelong adverse effects on performance in activities of daily living. This in turn impacts significantly on mental health and quality of life4 despite the majority having cognitive capacities within the normal range 5.
The outcome after an adult onset stroke is largely determined by the extent of the initial brain injury and motor recovery occurs if a critical amount of corticospinal system function has been spared at the time of the lesion6. However, this is not the case for a perinatal stroke and infants with a significant corticospinal projection from the infarcted cortex soon after the stroke, detected by transcranial magnetic stimulation, can still have a poor motor outcome7 . Early interventions that could provide trophic support to the infarcted motor cortex, or perhaps even replace lost corticospinal neurons, might help establish a more functionally active corticospinal projection from the infarcted side. However, the invasive nature of our proposed interventions requires that they are tested first in a rodent model.