Potential Prognostic Markers of Recovery in Post-stroke Rehabilitation

Despite increasingly effective early treatment strategies for ischemic stroke, post-stroke recovery is often incomplete and depend on spontaneous and therapeutic-induced processes related to neuroplasticity, angiogenesis and reperfusion. These processes are regulated by growth factors, neurotrophines, neurotransmitters, hormones and other factors. This study aims to search biomarkers that prognose brain repair ability and consequently estimate an outcome of stroke patients. The prognostic value of proteins VEGF, IGF-1 and MMP-9 and expression of genes VEGF, IGF-1, MMP-9 is evaluated in association with clinical scales including cognitive assessment scales and depression scales. Blood sample collection as well as scales recording are taken at baseline and 3 weeks later after rehabilitation.

Inclusion Criteria:subacute ischeamic stroke,age over 18,informed consent obtainedExclusion Criteria:intracerebral haemorrhage,chronic or significant acute inflammatory factors,neurological illness other than ischeamic stroke,severe cardio-vascular disease like myocardial infarction less than 30 days, unstable angina pectoris,decompensated metabolic or endocrine diseases