Deans' stroke musings: Extended Reality for Post-Stroke Neuroplasticity Rehabilitation: Harnessing Technology to Rewire the Brain

Changing stroke rehab and research worldwide now.Time is Brain! trillions and trillions of neurons that DIE each day because there are NO effective hyperacute therapies besides tPA(only 12% effective). I have 523 posts on hyperacute therapy, enough for researchers to spend decades proving them out. These are my personal ideas and blog on stroke rehabilitation and stroke research. Do not attempt any of these without checking with your medical provider. Unless you join me in agitating, when you need these therapies they won't be there.

What this blog is for:

My blog is not to help survivors recover, it is to have the 10 million yearly stroke survivors light fires underneath their doctors, stroke hospitals and stroke researchers to get stroke solved. 100% recovery. The stroke medical world is completely failing at that goal, they don't even have it as a goal. Shortly after getting out of the hospital and getting NO information on the process or protocols of stroke rehabilitation and recovery I started searching on the internet and found that no other survivor received useful information. This is an attempt to cover all stroke rehabilitation information that should be readily available to survivors so they can talk with informed knowledge to their medical staff. It lays out what needs to be done to get stroke survivors closer to 100% recovery. It's quite disgusting that this information is not available from every stroke association and doctors group.

Friday, August 22, 2025

Extended Reality for Post-Stroke Neuroplasticity Rehabilitation: Harnessing Technology to Rewire the Brain

With NO KNOWLEDGE OF EXACTLY HOW NEUROPLASTICITY WORKS, this is useless!

We don't SPECIFICALLY know why a neuron gives up its' current job and takes on a neighbors'. Thus, nothing on neuroplasticity is scientifically repeatable on demand. So, DEMAND your doctor give you EXACT PROTOCOLS to use. Don't allow your doctor to give you generalities or guidelines.

Extended Reality for Post-Stroke Neuroplasticity Rehabilitation: Harnessing Technology to Rewire the Brain

Md. Kafi Ahmed*1

Abstract

Stroke remains a leading cause of long-term disability worldwide, often resulting in significant motor, cognitive, and sensory impairments. The cornerstone of recovery lies in harnessing the brain's innate capacity for neuroplasticity – the ability to reorganize its structure and function. Traditional rehabilitation approaches, while beneficial, face limitations in intensity, engagement, personalization, and accessibility. Extended Reality (XR), encompassing Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR), emerges as a transformative tool to overcome these barriers. This comprehensive review explores the intersection of XR technology and neuroplasticity principles in post-stroke rehabilitation. We delve into the mechanisms of neuroplasticity, elucidate how XR interventions are uniquely positioned to exploit these mechanisms through immersive, task specific, engaging, and adaptable training environments. A critical analysis of current evidence from clinical trials is presented, highlighting the efficacy of XR for various post-stroke deficits. We further discuss the technological, clinical, and accessibility challenges facing widespread adoption and outline promising future directions, including integration with brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), advanced artificial intelligence (AI) for personalization, and telerehabilitation models. The evidence strongly suggests that XR is not merely a novel gadget, but a powerful neuromodulatory platform capable of optimizing neuroplasticity and driving significant functional recovery after stroke.