Combining Robotic-Assisted Therapy and Pharmacotherapy in Post-Stroke Rehabilitation

Stroke is the leading cause of acquired long-term disability in adults in developed countries. Despite aggressive rehabilitation, lasting upper extremity impairment remains in the majority of stroke survivors. It is hypothesized that enhancing neuroplasticity through the combination of drug therapy and physical therapy could enhance outcomes for stroke survivors. The combination of levodopa and intensive physical therapy shows promise in enhancing the functional motor recovery of stroke patients during the sub-acute and chronic period without reported significant side effects. Robotic-aided training is a promising tool that has the potential to deliver high-intensity, task-oriented, reproducible therapy that can decrease the burden on a therapist. Since the evidence behind dopaminergic potentiation of neuroplasticity and stroke recovery is promising, it is the investigators aim to combine dopaminergic drug therapy with highly intensive robotic-assisted therapy to provide superior upper extremity functional recovery over traditional stroke rehabilitation.