Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026
A Cell Culture Model for Studying the Role of Neuron-Glia Interactions in Ischemia
Published on: November 14, 2020
Stress-induced glucocorticoid receptor activation determines functional recovery following ischemic stroke
Fabiola Cr Zucchi1, Norah-Faye Matthies, Noora Badr
1Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, Alberta, T1K 3M4, Canada. fabiola.zucchi@uleth.ca.
Background:
A major consequence of stroke is permanent motor disturbance, such as postural imbalance and loss of skilled movement. The degree of neuronal and functional loss and subsequent recovery after stroke is influenced by hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation and the response to glucocorticoid hormones. This study investigated if recovery after stroke is related to glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activation in a rat model of stroke.
Methods:
Adult male rats were pre-trained and tested in a skilled reaching task and received a focal ischemic motor cortex lesion. One group of animals received daily restraint stress starting one week pre-lesion up to three weeks post-lesion. Immuno-histochemical analysis of GR expression was performed to determine receptor activation.
Results:
Stress reduced reaching success in naïve animals and diminished recovery of limb use. Exaggerated functional loss in stressed rats was related to increased GR activation in the lesion hemisphere as indicated by nuclear GR location.
Conclusion:
These findings provide a mechanistic link between stress-induced motor disability and GR activation in a rat model of stroke. The elevated receptor activation proposes synergistic effects of stress and stroke to modulate the impact of glucocorticoids on motor system function at the genomic level. The modulation of GR biosynthesis may alter responsiveness to stroke treatment and compromise recovery.
