(Medical News Today) – Dr. Andrea Tedeschi, assistant professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Ohio State University Medical Center, explained to Medical News Today why the concept of “brain plasticity” is so important when it comes to understanding brain health:
“‘Brain plasticity’ refers to the innate, or intrinsic, ability to compensate for a lack of functioning areas by, in principle, rewiring spare areas of the nervous system. And it’s something that is really amazing if you think about it because it allows us to repair the nervous system under certain conditions.”
Dr. Tedeschi is the corresponding author of a new study in mice that investigates the use of an existing drug to help the brain repair itself after an ischemic strokeTrusted Source.
The study found that administering gabapentin, an anticonvulsive medication, soon after a stroke helps the brain more effectively work around damaged areas. CONTINUE