Factors affecting post-stroke motor recovery: Implications on neurotherapy after brain injury

Neurological disorders are a major cause of chronic disability globally among which stroke is a leading cause of chronic disability. The advances in the medical management of stroke patients over the past decade have significantly reduced mortality, but at the same time increased numbers of disabled survivors. Unfortunately, this reduction in mortality was not paralleled by satisfactory therapeutics and rehabilitation strategies that can improve functional recovery of patients. Motor recovery after brain injury is a complex, dynamic, and multifactorial process in which an interplay among genetic, pathophysiologic, sociodemographic and therapeutic factors determines the overall recovery trajectory. Although stroke recovery is the most well-studied form of post-injury neuronal recovery, a thorough understanding of the pathophysiology and determinants affecting stroke recovery is still lacking. Understanding the different variables affecting brain recovery after stroke will not only provide an opportunity to develop therapeutic interventions but also allow for developing personalized platforms for patient stratification and prognosis. We aim to provide a narrative review of major determinants for post-stroke recovery and their implications in other forms of brain injury.