Neuronal functionality assessed by magnetoencephalography is related to oxidative stress system in acute ischemic stroke

The hypoxic brain damage induced by stroke is followed by an ischemia–reperfusion injury modulated by oxidative stress. Magnetoencephalographic (MEG) recording of rest and evoked cortical activities is a sensitive method to analyse functional changes following the acute ischemic damage. We aimed at investigating whether MEG signals are related to oxidative stress compounds in acute stroke.Eighteen stroke patients and 20 controls were enrolled. All subjects underwent MEG assessment to record background activity and somatosensory evoked responses (M20 and M30) of rolandic regions, neurological examination assessed by National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and plasmatic measurement of copper, iron, zinc, ceruloplasmin, transferrin, total peroxides and Total Anti-Oxidant Status. Magnetic Resonance was performed to estimate the lesion site and volume.Delta power and M20 equivalent current dipole (ECD) strength in the affected hemisphere (AH) correlated with NIHSS scores (respectively, rho = .692, p = .006 and rho = − .627, p = .012) and taken together explained 67% of NIHSS variability (p = .004). Higher transferrin and lower peroxides levels correlated with better clinical status (respectively, rho = − .600, p = .014 and rho = .599, p = .011). Transferrin also correlated with AH M20 ECD strength (rho = .638 p = .014) and inversely with AH delta power (rho = − .646 p = .023) and the lesion volume, especially in cortico-subcortical stroke (p = .037).Our findings strengthen MEG reliability in honing the evaluation of neuronal damage in acute ischemic stroke also demonstrating an association between the MEG parameters most representing the clinical status and the oxidative stress compounds. Our results meet at a possible protective role of transferrin in limiting the oxidative damage in acute stroke.