This 162-patient cohort study extended and confirmed the original Efrati 2013 finding: HBOT can drive neuroplasticity in chronic post-stroke patients, even decades after the original event. Patients in this cohort were 6 months to 22 years post-stroke — a population that conventional rehab medicine considers to have reached a permanent plateau. After 60 sessions of HBOT, significant improvements were measured in motor function, cognitive performance, and quality of life. fMRI imaging confirmed reactivation of previously dormant brain tissue. The implication for stroke survivors is significant: the door to recovery is not closed at 6 months post-event, despite what conventional rehab timelines suggest. The protocol used in this study was 2.0 ATA, but follow-on research has shown that 1.5 ATA produces similar outcomes when extended to longer courses.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves outcomes in chronic post-stroke patients with motor and cognitive deficits
Hadanny A, Rittblat M, Bitterman M, May-Raz I, Suzin G, Boussi-Gross R, Zemel Y, Bechor Y, Catalogna M, Efrati S
This 162-patient cohort study extended and confirmed the original Efrati 2013 finding: HBOT can drive neuroplasticity in chronic post-stroke patients, even decades after the original event. Patients in this cohort were 6 months to 22 years post-stroke — a population that conventional rehab medicine considers to have reached a permanent plateau. After 60 sessions of HBOT, significant improvements were measured in motor function, cognitive performance, and quality of life. fMRI imaging confirmed reactivation of previously dormant brain tissue. The implication for stroke survivors is significant: the door to recovery is not closed at 6 months post-event, despite what conventional rehab timelines suggest. The protocol used in this study was 2.0 ATA, but follow-on research has shown that 1.5 ATA produces similar outcomes when extended to longer courses.
What the trial documented.
- Significant improvements in motor function, cognition, and quality of life
- Effects observed in patients 6 months to 22 years post-stroke
- fMRI confirmed activation of previously dormant brain regions
- Effects maintained at long-term follow-up
- Confirmed Efrati 2013 results in a much larger, longer follow-up cohort
2.0 ATA, 100% oxygen with 5-minute air breaks, 90-minute sessions, 5 days/week for 60 sessions
Hadanny A, Rittblat M, Bitterman M, May-Raz I, Suzin G, Boussi-Gross R, Zemel Y, Bechor Y, Catalogna M, Efrati S. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves outcomes in chronic post-stroke patients with motor and cognitive deficits. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience. 2020.