MOTOR PROGRAMMING PREDICTS THE FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY GAIN IN PATIENTS WITH RIGHT HEMISPHERIC FRONTAL STROKE.

Background: Executive functioning significantly affects the functional rehabilitation progress in stroke patients. The current study are aimed to examine the impact of executive functions on functional recovery gain in a sample of right hemispheric (RH) frontal stroke patients. Material/ Methods: A total of 50 inpatients admitted to the Theseus Rehabilitation Center and diagnosed with RH frontal stroke were included in this study. The initial assessment of executive functioning was conducted using the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). Functional recovery of basic activities of daily living (ADLs) was computed by the difference between follow-up and baseline Barthel Index (BI) scores. Results: Pearson’s analysis revealed that the FAB global scores significantly correlated with the BI gain scores. Additionally, multiple regression analysis showed a significant contribution of only motor programming to the basic ADLs recovery gain. Conclusions: The global status of executive function was found to be significantly associated with functional recovery gain, and motor programming was the strongest predictor in RH frontal stroke patients. These findings are discussed for the treatment rehabilitation prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]