Neurorecovery and Neuroplasticity | Rethinking Outcomes in Neurorecovery Across Motor, Language, and Cognition*
Date: October 18, 2026
Time: 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm
Room: Coral 4
Track: Cross-Cutting Special Interest Group (SIG)
Session Description
Traditional clinical endpoints in neurorecovery trials often emphasize functional success (e.g., task completion) while providing limited insight into the mechanisms that drive recovery. This limitation is evident across motor, speech, language, and cognitive rehabilitation, where standard outcome measures may fail to capture compensatory strategies or underlying neural reorganization. As a result, meaningful biological and behavioral improvements may be overlooked, and promising therapies may be inadequately evaluated.
This session will highlight emerging approaches to outcome measurement in speech, cognition, and motor recovery that move beyond accepted endpoints to incorporate detailed behavioral profiling, error-based analyses, process-level cognitive metrics, and quantitative performance measures such as kinematic analysis. We will discuss how these methods address domain-specific challenges in aphasia, cognitive impairment, and motor dysfunction while clarifying distinctions between impairment-level change and functional compensation. Emphasis will be placed on improving sensitivity to treatment effects and aligning outcome measures more closely with mechanisms of neural plasticity.
By integrating insights across motor, language, speech, and cognition, this session aims to challenge how neurorecovery is measured and to advance a mechanism-informed framework for translationally meaningful trial endpoints.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Differentiate true recovery from compensatory strategies across motor, language, speech, and cognitive domains using advanced behavioral and performance-based measures.
- Evaluate limitations of traditional endpoints and consider the role of more sensitive, domain-specific measures in detecting meaningful neurorecovery.
- Examine the use of mechanism-informed outcome measures (e.g., kinematics, error-based, and process-level metrics) to enhance clinical trial design and interpretation of treatment effects.
Speakers
- (Chair) Karunesh Ganguly, MD, PhD, FANA
- (Co-Chair, Speaker) Peter Turkeltaub, MD, PhD, FANA
- (Speaker) David Lin, MD
- (Speaker) Andrew Kayser, MD, PhD, FANA
- (Speaker) Claire Henchcliffe, MD, DPhil, FANA
Reading Between the Lines: Dissecting the Neurocognitive Basis of Post-stroke Alexia and Creating Clinically Meaningful Outcome Measures
Description
Post-stroke alexia is a common but often underrecognized consequence of stroke that can significantly impair communication, functional independence, and quality of life. A deeper understanding of the neurocognitive processes underlying reading impairment is essential for improving diagnostic accuracy, developing targeted rehabilitation strategies, and measuring meaningful clinical outcomes.
This presentation will examine the neurocognitive basis of post-stroke alexia and explore how a detailed assessment of reading skills can enhance diagnostic precision and inform individualized treatment approaches. Participants will review the cognitive components of reading, discuss methods for identifying specific patterns of impairment, and explore the development of clinically meaningful outcome measures to evaluate recovery and treatment effectiveness. Topics will also include how advances in cognitive neuroscience can improve rehabilitation strategies for individuals with acquired reading disorders following stroke.
Attendees will leave with a greater understanding of the mechanisms underlying post-stroke alexia and practical insights into assessing reading impairments, implementing targeted interventions, and using meaningful outcome measures to improve patient care and recovery.
Rethinking Endpoints for Motor Neurorecovery Trials
Description
The development of effective therapies for post-stroke motor recovery depends on outcome measures that accurately capture meaningful neurological change. While traditional clinical endpoints have advanced the field, growing recognition of their limitations has prompted the search for more sensitive, mechanistically informed measures that better reflect the biology of recovery and facilitate translation from preclinical to clinical studies.
This presentation will examine the current landscape of outcome measures used in upper extremity motor recovery trials after stroke and introduce a new framework for assessing motor neurorecovery. Participants will review commonly used clinical endpoints, comparing measures employed in acute stroke and stroke recovery research, and explore the strengths and limitations of performance-based and patient-reported outcomes. Topics will include lessons from recent successful clinical trials, the potential of kinematic-based assessments to distinguish impairment-level recovery, detect subtle therapeutic effects, and improve alignment with preclinical research. Participants will also be introduced to a novel framework for motor outcome assessment grounded in post-stroke anatomy and physiology, with the goal of enhancing the evaluation of mechanism-based neurorecovery therapies.
Attendees will leave with a greater understanding of the strengths and limitations of current motor recovery endpoints and practical insights into emerging assessment strategies that may improve the design, interpretation, and translational impact of future stroke neurorecovery trials.
Mechanisms of Working Memory and Their Implications for Cognitive Neurorehabilitation
Description
Impairments in executive function are among the most common and disabling consequences of acquired brain injury, often limiting independence and quality of life. Working memory, a fundamental component of executive function, supports the temporary storage and manipulation of information that underlies reasoning, decision-making, and goal-directed behavior, making it an important target for cognitive rehabilitation.
This presentation will examine the neural mechanisms of working memory and their implications for cognitive neurorehabilitation. Participants will review the current evidence supporting behavioral, pharmacologic, and device-based interventions aimed at improving working memory while exploring contemporary models of working memory and the neural circuits that support executive function. Topics will include how advances in the understanding of working memory mechanisms are informing the development of more targeted and effective rehabilitation strategies, with consideration of their potential application across a range of neurological disorders and brain injuries.
Attendees will leave with a greater understanding of the neurobiology of working memory and practical insights into how mechanistic models of executive function can guide the design and implementation of future cognitive rehabilitation interventions.
Continued Evaluation of Participants With Parkinson's Disease Through 4 Years After Bemdaneprocel Administration
Description
Parkinson’s disease is characterized by progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons, creating significant interest in cell replacement therapies designed to restore dopaminergic function. Stem cell–derived dopaminergic neuron progenitors represent a promising approach, but understanding their long-term safety, tolerability, and potential clinical effects is essential as these therapies advance through clinical development.
This presentation will review four-year follow-up findings from the first-in-human clinical trial of bemdaneprocel, a stem cell–derived dopaminergic neuron progenitor therapy, in individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Participants will examine the long-term clinical and safety outcomes following transplantation and consider what these findings reveal about the feasibility and potential durability of cell replacement therapy. The session will also discuss the implications of extended follow-up for evaluating efficacy, treatment response, and the continued development of regenerative approaches for Parkinson’s disease.
Attendees will leave with a greater understanding of the emerging clinical evidence for stem cell–derived dopaminergic cell therapy in Parkinson’s disease and the importance of long-term follow-up in assessing the safety, durability, and therapeutic potential of these approaches.
