Semaphorin 6A Improves Functional Recovery in Conjunction with Motor Training after Cerebral Ischemia

Background: We have previously identified Semaphorin 6a (Sema6A) as an upregulated gene product in a gene expression screen in cortical ischemia [1]. Semaphorin 6a was regulated during the recovery phase following ischemia in the cortex. Semaphorin 6a is a member of the superfamily of semaphorins involved in axon guidance and other functions. We hypothesized that the upregulation indicates a crucial role of this molecule in post-stroke rewiring of the brain. Here we have tested this hypothesis by overexpressing semaphorin 6a in the cortex by microinjection of a modified AAV2-virus. A circumscribed cortical infarct was induced, and the recovery of rats monitored for up to 4 weeks using a well-established test battery (accelerated rotarod training paradigm, cylinder test, adhesive tape removal). We observed a significant improvement in post-ischemic recovery of animals injected with the semaphorin 6a virus versus animals treated with a control virus. We conclude that semaphorin 6a overexpressed in the cortex enhances recovery after cerebral ischemia

Symptomatic Hemicrania Continua After Internal Carotid Artery Dissection

Rogalewski A, Evers S. Symptomatic Hemicrania Continua After Internal Carotid Artery Dissection. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain. 2005;45(2):167-169.We report a male patient with a right internal carotid artery (ICA) dissection and a consecutive hemicrania continua (HC) fulfilling the criteria of the International Headache Society. This is the first time that a HC secondary to ICA dissection has been reported

Development of new stroke therapies Outlook for neuroprotective drugs

Rogalewski A, Schäbitz W-R. Entwicklungen neuer Therapiemöglichkeiten des Schlaganfalls: Perspektiven für Neuroprotektiva? Der Nervenarzt. 2008;79(2):218-224.Schlaganfälle gehören zu den häufigsten Erkrankungen dieser Zeit. Die zahlreichen negativen klinischen Studien mit neuroprotektiven Substanzen führten zur Einführung von Empfehlungen der Stroke Therapy Academic Industry Roundtable (STAIR) für die präklinische und klinische Entwicklungsphase. Als Folge dieser verbesserten neuen Entwicklungen zeigte die erstmalig positive klinische Studie mit dem Radikalfänger NXY-059 ein ermutigendes Ergebnis (SAINT I), das sich allerdings in einer Folgestudie (SAINT II) nicht bestätigen ließ. In diesem Artikel analysieren wir kritisch die präklinische und klinische Entwicklung von Neuroprotektiva für die Schlaganfallbehandlung am Beispiel von NXY-059 und geben Empfehlungen für die mögliche zukünftige Entwicklung neuroprotektiver Substanzen

Stroke recovery enhancing therapies: lessons from recent clinical trials

Rogalewski A, Schäbitz W-R. Stroke recovery enhancing therapies: lessons from recent clinical trials. Neural Regeneration Research . 2022;17(4):717-720.Poststroke recovery processes include restoration or compensation of function, respectively functions initially lost or new functions acquired after an injury. Therapeutic interventions can enhance these processes and/or reduce processes impeding regeneration. Numerous experimental studies suggest great opportunities for such treatments, but the results from recent large clinical trials using neuromodulators such as dopamine and fluoxetine are disappointing. The reasons for this are manifold affecting forward translation of results from animals models into the human situation. This "translational road block" is defined by differences between animals and humans with regard to the genetic and epigenetic background, size and anatomy of the brain, cerebral vascular anatomy, immune system, as well as clinical function and behavior. Backward blockade includes the incompatible adaption of targets and outcomes in clinical trials with regard to prior preclinical findings. For example, the design of clinical recovery trials varies widely and was characterized by the selection of different clinical endpoints, the inclusion a broad spectrum of stroke subtypes and clinical syndromes as well as different time windows for treatment initiation after infarct onset. This review will discuss these aspects based on the results of the recent stroke recovery trials with the goal to contribute to the currently biggest unmet need in stroke research- the development of a recovery enhancing therapy that improves the functional outcome of a chronic stroke patient

Prosody as an intermediary evolutionary stage between a manual communication system and a fully developed language faculty

Rogalewski A, Breitenstein C, Floel A, Knecht S. Prosody as an intermediary evolutionary stage between a manual communication system and a fully developed language faculty. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 2004;27(4):521-522.Based on the motor theory of language, which asserts an evolution from gestures along several stages to today's speech and language, we suggest that speech ontogeny may partly reflect speech phylogeny, in that perception of prosodic contours is an intermediary stage between a manual communication system and a fully developed language faculty

Tumoröse Schwellung des Sehnerven – Malignom oder isolierte Neurosarkoidose?

Schilling M, Rogalewski A, Ringelstein EB, Nabavi DG. Tumoröse Schwellung des Sehnerven – Malignom oder isolierte Neurosarkoidose? In: 79. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurologie (DGN) mit Fortbildungsakademie Mannheim, 20.–24. 9. 2006 . Aktuelle Neurologie. Vol 33. Georg Thieme ; 2006

Eine einfache Methode zur Markierung der Zielregion bei komplizierten Muskelbiopsien

Rogalewski A, Gregor N, Ringelstein EB, Schilling M. Eine einfache Methode zur Markierung der Zielregion bei komplizierten Muskelbiopsien. In: 79. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurologie (DGN) mit Fortbildungsakademie Mannheim, 20.–24. 9. 2006 . Aktuelle Neurologie. Vol 33. Georg Thieme; 2006

VZV brainstem encephalitis triggers NMDA receptor immunoreaction

Schäbitz W-R, Rogalewski A, Hagemeister C, Bien C. VZV brainstem encephalitis triggers NMDA receptor immunoreaction. Neurology. 2014;83(24):2309-2311