Figure 3. Repeated neuronal stimulations of the cLCN promote post-stroke recovery.

(a) Diagram illustrates the stimulation paradigm used. One session of stimulation consists of three 1-minute stimulations with 3-minute rest periods in between²³. Laser ON periods (blue) and laser OFF periods (black) are indicated on the diagram. (b) Experimental design: Mice were pre-trained (H) on the rotating beam test prior to recording the pre-implant baseline (B) and pre-stroke baseline data (Day 0). Each mouse received one session of stimulation daily, from post-stroke Day 5 and continued until Day14. Behavior tests were performed at post-stroke Days 4, 7, 10 and 14. Mice were sacrificed at Day 15 for histological and western blot analysis. cLCN-stimulated stroke mice exhibit significant improvement as early as Day 7 after stroke, as reflected by their performance in both distance traveled (c) and speed (d). n = 15 for stroke + no stim, n = 18 for stroke + stim. Two-way ANOVA with Bonferroni’s post hoc test, *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01,***P < 0.001. Data are expressed as mean ± s.e.m.