Affiliations: Department of Medicine (Neurology), Department of
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC 27705, USA | Department of Medicine (Division of Neurology), Duke
Center for Cerebrovascular Disease, Center for Clinical Health Policy Research,
Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
Note: [] Corresponding author: L.B. Goldstein, M.D., Box 3651, Duke
University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. Tel.: + 1 919 684 3801; Fax:
+1 919 684 6514; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Both age and sex can influence recovery after brain injury. To
determine the impact of these variables on motor recovery, young (2 month old)
and older (5-6 months old) male and female rats were first trained to traverse a
narrow elevated beam. Rats then underwent suction-ablation of right
sensorimotor cortex or sham operation. Motor recovery was measured by repeated
testing on the beam over 3 weeks. Shamoperated rats performed perfectly
regardless of age or sex throughout testing. There was no difference in
beam-walking scores among the groups of lesioned rats on the first trial 24 hrs.
after injury (Kruskal-Wallis H = 0.18, p = 0.98). There was a significant
effect of age (two-way ANOVA F1,32 = 29.58, p < 0.0001) but not sex (ANOVA
F1,32 = 0.78, p = 0.38) on subsequent recovery. These data show that motor
recovery after unilateral injury to the sensorimotor cortex varies with age,
but not sex.
Keywords: cortex, recovery, motor function, stroke, trauma, rat, aging, sex
