Characterising Arm Recovery in People with Severe Stroke (CARPSS): Protocol for a 12-month observational study of clinical, neuroimaging and neurophysiological biomarkers

Abstract

Introduction In individuals with early (indexed ≤7 days poststroke) and severe upper limb paresis (shoulder abduction and finger extension score of <5 out of 10), our objectives are to: (1) determine if biomarkers of brain structure and function collected at <1 month poststroke explain who will experience clinically important recovery over the first 12 months poststroke; (2) compare stroke survivors' perceptions of personally meaningful recovery to clinically important recovery; and (3) characterise the trajectory of change in measures of motor function, brain structure and function. Methods and analysis Prospective observational study with an inception cohort of 78 first-time stroke survivo..