Nogo receptor blockade overcomes remyelination failure after white matter stroke and stimulates functional recovery in aged mice

White matter stroke is a common clinical problem that leads to widespread cognitive and sensorimotor deficits. The incidence of white matter stroke is sharply age-associated; imaging studies indicate that, over age 80, virtually all of us will have white matter strokes. Little is known of the repair processes after white matter stroke. Here, we report the tissue repair processes after white matter stroke and identify Nogo receptor 1 (NgR1) ligands as inhibitors. We show that white matter repair and functional recovery are indeed possible in aged brains when an engineered NgR1 decoy receptor is systemically administered after white matter stroke, even at chronic periods in this disease.