Overview
- The Penn State–USC randomized phase II trial enrolled 53 chronic stroke survivors with severe paresis and compared ipsilesional training with standard care.
- Participants trained three times weekly for five weeks, with assessments at baseline, end of treatment, three weeks, and six months.
- Those assigned to less-impaired arm therapy improved by about 12%—nearly six seconds—on a standardized dexterity test, with gains sustained at six months.
- The intervention paired real-world dexterity practice with virtual-reality tasks tailored by side of brain injury, while controls received best-practice therapy for the more-impaired arm.
- Investigators cite potential improvements in independence and reduced caregiver burden and plan studies that combine this approach with other rehabilitation modalities.