Similar to our results, several reports have shown that CIMT alone does not enhance recovery in an ischemic stroke model [37, 38], although the application of both CIMT and growth factors, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) or granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, has been shown to improve outcomes after experimental stroke [37, 38]. Here, BDNF is linked to ischemic stroke.