The Brain's Recovery from Stroke

This is so incredibly obvious, you have to look at the brain scans that show dead areas vs. penumbra and then you might be able to predict recovery.
http://dana.org/news/braininthenews/detail.aspx?id=40794
One of the mysteries in clinical neurology is how the brain recovers—or doesn’t recover—from injury. Two people may have seemingly similar strokes involving the motor area of the right cerebral hemisphere, resulting in the inability to use the left arm and hand. Over the next three months, Subject A makes a slow but consistent recovery, and within six months is using his right hand almost normally. The other, Subject B, has made very little recovery, and is still quite disabled at six months.

This is so simple, Subject As' neurons recovered, Subject Bs' neurons went down the cascade of death. All you have to do is figure out how to control the path they take.
Rest at the link.