Based on the available evidence , motor evoked potentials at rest were the only biomarker that predicted motor outcome in individuals with severe arm impairment following stroke .
To build an underst and ing of the neurobiology underpinning arm recovery in people with severe arm impairment due to stroke , we conducted a pooled individual data systematic review to : 1 ) characterize brain biomarkers ; 2 ) determine relationship(s ) between biomarkers and motor outcome ; and 3 ) establish relationship(s ) between biomarkers and motor recovery .
Functional recovery of the paretic upper limb after stroke: who regains hand capacity?
OBJECTIVE To describe recovery of upper limb capacity after stroke during  inpatient rehabilitation  based on the Stroke Upper Limb Capacity Scale ( SULCS ) . DESIGN Prospect i ve observational study . SETTING Inpatient department of a rehabilitation center . PARTICIPANTS Patients with stroke ( N=299 ) admitted to a specialized stroke rehabilitation center . INTERVENTION Not applicable . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Upper limb capacity was assessed at the start and end of the rehabilitation phase with the SULCS ( range , 0 - 10 ) . The following demographic and clinical characteristics were registered : age , sex , side of stroke , stroke type , time since stroke , and length of stay in the rehabilitation center . RESULTS On admission , 125 patients had no h and capacity ( SULCS score , 0 - 3 ) , 58 had basic h and capacity ( SULCS score , 4 - 7 ) , and 116 had advanced h and capacity ( SULCS score , 8 - 10 ) . Of the patients without initial h and capacity , 41 % regained some h and capacity ( SULCS score , ≥4 ) at discharge . Of these , patients with SULCS scores of 2 and 3 had 29 and 97 times greater chance of regaining some h and capacity compared with patients with an initial SULCS score of 0 , respectively . Of the patients with initial basic h and capacity , 78 % regained advanced h and capacity at discharge . The SULCS score on admission explained 51 % of the SULCS score variance at discharge , while time since stroke was negatively associated with upper limb recovery , explaining an additional 7 % of the SULCS score variance at discharge . CONCLUSIONS Even patients with minimal proximal shoulder and elbow control of the upper paretic limb on admission in a rehabilitation center have a fair chance of regaining some h and capacity in the long-term after stroke , whereas patients without such proximal arm control have a much poorer prognosis for regaining h and capacity
Based on the available evidence , motor evoked potentials at rest were the only biomarker that predicted motor outcome in individuals with severe arm impairment following stroke .
To build an underst and ing of the neurobiology underpinning arm recovery in people with severe arm impairment due to stroke , we conducted a pooled individual data systematic review to : 1 ) characterize brain biomarkers ; 2 ) determine relationship(s ) between biomarkers and motor outcome ; and 3 ) establish relationship(s ) between biomarkers and motor recovery .