Researchers in Canada have used multimodal imaging to identify functional and structural changes associated with language outcomes in patients with neonatal arterial ischemic stroke (NAIS).
“NAIS is defined as stroke within the first 28 days of life, and is the most common form of childhood stroke”, said Dr Zahra Emami of the University of Toronto, Canada, presenting at the ICNA/CNS 2020 virtual conference.
Patients with NAIS affecting the middle cerebral artery (MCA) often acquire basic language skills during childhood, but deficits in higher-order language emerge in adolescence. “Understanding the potential for the brain to reorganize its network connectivity following early brain insult may help inform models of developmental neuroplasticity,” Dr Emami noted.