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Abstract #1201

Investigating the Role of Transcallosal Projections in Mediating Neuroplasticity Following Injury in a Rat Using FMRI

Jennifer I. Wood1,2, Suresh E. Joel1,3, Michael T. McMahon1,2, James J. Pekar1,2, Galit Pelled, 2,4

1F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States; 2The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; 3The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; 4F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute , Baltimore, MD, United States


Human and animal studies suggest the involvement of the transcallosal projection in shaping neuroplasticity following injury may be crucial in dictating the rehabilitation probability. This study was designed to investigate the role of the transcallosal pathways in mediating neuroplasticity following injury in a rat model of sensory deprivation. Using fMRI, we have studied the time course and the age-dependency of which the transcallosal projections effect cortical reorganization. The results demonstrate that the transcallosal projections involvement in neuroplasticity varies dependent on the age and the time following the injury and may introduce a critical consideration when choosing the right rehabilitation strategy.