Time since stroke and effects of exercise on neuroplasticity
stroke, human stroke, post-stroke
STROKE
A noteworthy finding from this study was the possible role of time post-stroke on neuroplasticity following aerobic exercise. While this outcome should be interpreted cautiously, given it was exploratory, and the sub-group analysis was performed on a small sample, it remains possible that chronicity might influence effects of exercise. Our results appear to suggest a greater response in those who were approximately 2–7.5 years post stroke. While it is unclear why the effect of exercise appeared weaker earlier after stroke (< 2 years), a possible explanation might be that we have interfered with the spontaneous upregulation in neuroplasticity thought to occur after stroke. The precise temporal characteristics of this upregulation in neuroplasticity are not clear, but its occurrence has been physiologically observed in the contralesional hemisphere in human stroke survivors