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Updated: May 9, 2026
08:36
A Versatile Murine Model of Subcortical White Matter Stroke for the Study of Axonal Degeneration and White Matter Neurobiology
Published on: March 17, 2016
Longitudinal Degeneration of Microstructural and Structural Connectivity Patterns Following Stroke
Lorenzo Pini1,2, Mohammad Hadi Aarabi2, Alessandro Salvalaggio1,2
1Department of Neuroscience (L.P., A.S., M.C.), University of Padua, Italy.
Stroke
|May 8, 2026
Summary
White matter (WM) degeneration progresses after stroke, impacting brain networks. While acute changes correlate with deficits, chronic WM alterations seem uncoupled from long-term behavioral recovery.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Stroke induces neurological impairment via plasticity and network reorganization.
- Post-stroke white matter (WM) remodeling for behavioral recovery remains debated.
- This study investigates longitudinal WM changes and their link to post-stroke behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if longitudinal changes in WM microstructure and structural connectivity correlate with post-stroke behavior.
- To explore the relationship between structural connectivity reorganization and local disconnection microstructure.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study with diffusion MRI and behavioral assessments at 2 weeks and 3 months post-stroke.
- Latent factorial analysis of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) data.
- Analysis of structural connectivity, microstructural diffusion parameters, and behavioral factors using linear mixed models and regression.
Main Results:
- Stroke patients showed diffuse WM alterations at 2 weeks, linked to microstructural abnormalities in disconnected pathways.
- WM degeneration progressed from 2 weeks to 3 months post-stroke.
- Acute structural connectivity changes correlated with cognitive deficits; chronic WM degeneration was linked to motor impairment.
Conclusions:
- Mild stroke causes widespread, progressive WM microstructure alterations that evolve over time.
- Acute structural disconnection relates to behavioral deficits.
- Chronic WM degeneration appears uncoupled from functional recovery.
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