New Directions in Treatments Targeting Stroke Recovery.

Abstract

Stroke is the leading cause of neurological disability in the U.S. and worldwide. Remarkable advances have been made over the last 20 years in acute vascular treatments to reduce infarct size and improve neurological outcome. Substantially less progress has been made in treatments to enhance neurological recovery after stroke. However, a number of promising research directions have been identified for treatments targeting stroke recovery and are the focus of the current review (Figure 1). Open in a separate window Figure 1. Summary of current experimental treatments for stroke recovery and their readiness for incorporation into clinical practice based on synthesis of current evidence. Readiness for clinical application ranges from preclinical development (i.e. in animal studies only, red) to broad clinical application (green).