Vera Wielenga

White matter motor tracts are the highways through which signals from the motor cortex are relayed to other areas in the brain, and down to the spinal cord and the limbs. Stroke can result in loss of motor function, but most patient also show some form of spontaneous recovery, highlighting the brain’s capacity for recovery. However, recovery trajectories in patients vary widely. Damage to motor tracts is a complex problem, and its contribution to the potential for recovery after stroke is incompletely understood. My project focusses on better understanding the cause and consequences of changes to white matter motor tracts after stroke and how this influences functional recovery. In this project, we work with various rodent stroke models. By combining MR imaging, behavioral, cellular and electrophysiological techniques, we aim to obtain a comprehensive view of the recovery processes in white matter motor tracts after stroke.