Larger strokes accelerate aging in the damaged hemisphere but paradoxically make the opposite side of the brain appear younger suggesting the brain may be reorganizing itself, essentially rejuvenating undamaged networks to compensate for lost function.
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Study Identifies Brain Rewiring Mechanism That May Aid Stroke Recovery
Larger strokes accelerate aging in the damaged hemisphere but paradoxically make the opposite side of the brain appear younger suggesting the brain may be reorganizing itself, essentially rejuvenating undamaged networks to compensate for lost function.
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In a new study published in The Lancet Digital Health, scientists at the USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute( Stevens INI) have discovered that the brains of people who experience severe physical impairment after a stroke may reorganize themselves in unexpected ways, showing signs of“ younger” brain structure in undamaged regions as they adapt to injury.
The international research effort is part of the Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis( ENIGMA) Stroke
Recovery Working Group, which analyzed brain scans from more than 500 stroke survivors across 34 research sites in eight countries. Using deep learning models trained on tens of thousands of MRI scans, the researchers estimated the“ brain age” of different regions in each hemisphere to see how stroke damage affects brain structure and recovery.
“ We found that larger strokes accelerate aging in the damaged hemisphere but paradoxically make the opposite side of the brain appear younger,” said