Brain noise variability may predict stroke recovery capacity

Researchers at the Irccs San Raffaele in Rome have identified a potential way to predict how well a person might recover following a stroke. According to a study published in the journal ‘Stroke’, the variability in how the brain responds to identical stimuli, previously viewed as mere ‘noise’, may actually serve as a signal of the brain's capacity to reorganize itself.

The study, conducted by the Department of Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation in collaboration with eCampus University and the San Raffaele Institute of Sulmona, monitored 77 individuals following their first stroke. Researchers evaluated patients between the seventh and fourteenth day after the event, and again after two months of intensive daily rehabilitation.

Stroke remains a leading cause of permanent disability worldwide, with approximately one in four people at risk of experiencing one in their lifetime. In Italy alone, over 100,000 people suffer a stroke annually, and more than one million live with its consequences.