From Prison to Possibility: How Thalamic Stimulation Can Help after a Motor Cortex Stroke
You had a stroke in your motor cortex. Now you can’t move, trapped in your own body, a prison from which you yourself cannot escape. However, doctors can help. If the damage was partial and some of the motor cortex (M1), and its axons descending down the corticospinal tract (CST), remain intact, there is hope. Many motor neurons may be dead or disconnected and cannot contribute to the collective dynamics of M1. This makes it hard for the remaining M1 neurons to communicate and sustain activity during movement. The doctors’ goal is to boost the signals coming from the surviving M1 neurons so that, together, they can rewire and relearn to support motor activity. Even when a substantial number of neurons are lost, the remaining neurons can change their collective behavior. If their likelihood of firing is increased, weaker inputs can make it easier for the neurons to communicate and fire. In turn, these surviving neurons can re-establish patterns of activity that underlie movement. In oth...
