Topic: Neuroscience
A new study found that people who had a severe stroke may show signs of a 'younger' brain structure in areas not damaged. This could be a sign of the brain adapting and reorganizing itself after injury.
A team of researchers from the USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) discovered that people who had severe physical impairments after a stroke may show signs of a 'younger' brain structure in areas not damaged. This is an unexpected finding, as it suggests that the brain can adapt and reorganize itself after injury.
The researchers used artificial intelligence to analyze brain scans from over 500 stroke survivors collected across 34 research centers in eight countries. They found that larger strokes accelerate aging in the damaged hemisphere but paradoxically make the opposite side of the brain appear younger. This pattern suggests that the brain may be reorganizing itself, essentially rejuvenating undamaged networks to compensate for lost function.
The team also discovered that stroke survivors with severe movement impairments showed a 'younger' brain age in regions opposite the site of injury. This effect was especially strong in the frontoparietal network, which plays an important role in movement planning, attention, and coordination.
Why It Matters
This study can help doctors develop personalized rehabilitation strategies for stroke survivors, improving their quality of life and outcomes.
Key Facts
- The study analyzed brain scans from over 500 stroke survivors collected across 34 research centers in eight countries.
- Larger strokes accelerate aging in the damaged hemisphere but paradoxically make the opposite side of the brain appear younger.
- Stroke survivors with severe movement impairments showed a 'younger' brain age in regions opposite the site of injury.
Key Terms
- Graph convolutional network
- A type of artificial intelligence used to analyze brain scans and estimate the biological age of different brain regions.
Implications
This study can help doctors develop personalized rehabilitation strategies for stroke survivors, improving their quality of life and outcomes.
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260328043556.htm
Journal Reference:
- Gilsoon Park, Mahir H Khan, Justin W Andrushko, Nerisa Banaj, Michael R Borich, Lara A Boyd, Amy Brodtmann, Truman R Brown, Cathrin M Buetefisch, Adriana B Conforto, Steven C Cramer, Michael Dimyan, Martin Domin, Miranda R Donnelly, Natalia Egorova-Brumley, Elsa R Ermer, Wuwei Feng, Fatemeh Geranmayeh, Colleen A Hanlon, Brenton Hordacre, Neda Jahanshad, Steven A Kautz, Mohamed Salah Khlif, Jingchun Liu, Martin Lotze, Bradley J MacIntosh, Feroze B Mohamed, Jan E Nordvik, Fabrizio Piras, Kate P Revill, Andrew D Robertson, Christian Schranz, Nicolas Schweighofer, Na Jin Seo, Surjo R Soekadar, Shraddha Srivastava, Bethany P Tavenner, Gregory T Thielman, Sophia I Thomopoulos, Daniela Vecchio, Emilio Werden, Lars T Westlye, Carolee J Winstein, George F Wittenberg, Jennifer K Ferris, Chunshui Yu, Paul M Thompson, Sook-Lei Liew, Hosung Kim. Associations between contralesional neuroplasticity and motor impairment through deep learning-derived MRI regional brain age in chronic stroke (ENIGMA): a multicohort, retrospective, observational study. The Lancet Digital Health, 2026; 8 (1): 100942 DOI: 10.1016/j.landig.2025.100942
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