Why symptoms improved while the recordings did not look very different is a mystery.

"Right now we don't know the neural mechanisms that allowed the patients to improve," says Simon. "It could be that new neural communication routes have formed, to bypass the sluggish pathways. Or it could be that older, less used, communication pathways have been repurposed." Further studies could help to unlock this question.


The study called for patients to be scanned again at the one-year mark. But because of the pandemic, they were not able to come in to the test site to repeat the tests. After the pandemic subsides, the researchers have received funding for a new study that will explore ways in which recovery from these symptoms, and the neural sluggishness underlying them, can be sped up, furthering their efforts to unlock the mysteries of the brain.

"What we still don't know is the specifics of how a small lesion disrupts neural communication so widely," says Simon. "We hope that looking at the details of which neural connections are disrupted, and how, will be a next step in understanding not only this particular effect of a minor stroke, but also give us a new window into understanding in how information is processed across the brain."

"This is the first step to better understanding the cause of PSADES, which will allow us to design more effective treatments," Marsh says. "The next step will be to do formal network connectivity studies. Then we can test therapies to help people get better faster."

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