Background/Aim: Stroke remains a leading cause of disability worldwide. Approximately 60% of survivors experience persistent upper limb motor impairments that limit independence in daily activities. Although preclinical models are widely used to investigate rehabilitation strategies, many studies fail to quantify engagement during upper-limb training, a critical component of therapy dose that is linked to motor use during recovery. This highlights the need for preclinical models that more closely reflect clinically relevant protocols.
Method: Mice aged between 8 and 12 weeks underwent photothrombotic stroke or sham surgery targeting the forelimb motor cortex. From 4 days post-stroke, mice received forelimb motor rehabilitation using the pasta matrix reaching task (PMRT), a task-specific paradigm that assesses skilled reaching behaviour. Rehabilitated mice (n=10) were trained for 10 minutes, twice daily. Control groups included sham (n=10) and stroke-only mice (n=10), which did not receive rehabilitation. Engagement and task performance were quantified across sessions, including contact with the matrix using dominant and non-dominant forelimbs.
Results: Rehabilitated mice demonstrated significantly greater engagement than sham controls, evidenced by increased contact with the matrix using both the dominant (p=0.015) and non-dominant paws (p=0.0006). These findings suggest that PMRT is sensitive to behavioural changes following stroke and can detect early indicators of motor recovery.
Conclusion: In line with the growing clinical emphasis on task-specific upper-limb therapy, PMRT offers a valuable preclinical model for stroke rehabilitation. Quantifying engagement provides a robust framework for assessing the efficacy of rehabilitation and improving the translational relevance of preclinical strategies targeting upper-limb recovery after stroke.