A personalized approach to non-physical practice after stroke

Chronic motor impairments are experienced by 85% of stroke survivors. Recovery of these impairments can be facilitated by repetitive non-physical motor practice including kinaesthetic motor imagery (KMI; the mental rehearsal of movement), visual motor imagery (VMI; specific focus on a mental image) and action observation (AO; passive observation of movement). Yet, effectiveness of these different non-physical practice modes is varied due to highly individualized brain function after stroke. To improve effectiveness, we will assess brain and behaviour changes driven by KMI, VMI, and AO at the individual participant level. We will then design a personalized intervention to show that improvements in motor function are maximized when practice mode is tailored to the individual based on the brain’s response to each mode. This research informs the development of evidence-based interventions after stroke, representing an important step in improving the quality of life of stroke survivors in Canada. Integrated knowledge translation (KT) activities (including engaging key knowledge users), and end-study KT activities (including public lectures of findings) will be conducted.