The VECTORS study

Vector (v![Graphic][1] k't![Graphic][2] r), noun: a quantity that has magnitude and direction Stroke remains a leading cause of disability in humans. While most patients show some spontaneous return of behavior in the weeks to months following a stroke, most people are left with major new deficits. Billions of dollars are spent in the United States each year on poststroke rehabilitation. The motor system is among the neurologic domains most commonly affected by stroke.1 Many studies thus aim to improve motor function after stroke. Much of the work has focused on the content of motor therapy.2 Does adding motor imagery, robotics, brain stimulation, or concomitant pharmacologics help? Is one treatment strategy better than the next? Such investigations focus on qualitative aspects of rehabilitation therapy. However, the quantity of poststroke rehabilitation therapy might be just as important. A landmark article on this topic came from the laboratory of Tim Schallert, who in 1996 studied rats with unilateral forelimb weakness after focal stroke. In that report, Kozlowski et al.3 experimentally manipulated the … [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif [2]: /embed/inline-graphic-2.gif