Deans' stroke musings: Neuroplasticity in Recovery after Stroke: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targets

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.

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Neuroplasticity in Recovery after Stroke: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targets

Nothing here tells us EXACTLY HOW TO MAKE NEUROPLASTICITY REPEATABLE ON DEMAND! Absolutely useless!

Neuroplasticity in Recovery after Stroke: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targets

Authors

Mohammed Ahmed MustafaDepartment of Biology, College of Education, University of Samarra, Iraq

Keywords:

Neuroplasticity; Stroke recovery; Rehabilitation; Motor Reorganization; Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT); Noninvasive Brain Stimulation; Virtual Reality

Abstract

Background: Stroke remains a leading cause of death and long-term disability globally, with traditional rehabilitation approaches primarily focusing on compensatory strategies rather than neural repair mechanisms.

Objective: This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on neuroplasticity mechanisms underlying stroke recovery and evaluates therapeutic interventions that harness the brain's reorganization capacity to improve functional outcomes.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases for English-language studies published between 2000 and April 2023. Search terms included "stroke rehabilitation," "neuroplasticity," "motor recovery," and specific interventions.

Results: Key neuroplastic mechanisms—including synaptic plasticity, dendritic remodeling, cortical reorganization, neurogenesis, and axonal sprouting—underlie both spontaneous and therapy-induced recovery. Evidence-based interventions leveraging these mechanisms include constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT), physical exercise, non-invasive brain stimulation, virtual reality training, brain-computer interfaces, and emerging cell-based therapies. Recovery outcomes are significantly influenced by individual factors (age, genetics, stroke characteristics) and contextual factors (rehabilitation timing, intensity, resource availability).

Conclusions: Neuroplasticity-based rehabilitation represents a paradigm shift from compensatory to restorative approaches. Future directions emphasize early, intensive, personalized interventions combining behavioral, neuromodulatory, and pharmacological strategies to optimize functional recovery and quality of life for stroke survivors.