Patient disability following a stroke may depend on the severity, type, or location of the bleed or clot that caused it. But to date, it has been difficult to predict how well any individual might recover from a stroke. This is especially true for anticipating how well a patient may regain common motor functions, like walking or using a spoon. New research shows brain wave patterns may be a biomarker for motor skill recovery potential in stroke patients. That’s according to a study published in October 2020 in the Oxford Academic journal Brain Communications . “While cortical oscillations may be only one of several factors important for motor learning, they may have value as markers of cortical function and plasticity after stroke,” according to the study. Beta oscillations “may offer novel targets for therapeutic interventions aimed at modifying plasticity, such as pharmacological and non-invasive brain stimulation approaches,” the study suggests. Previous studies have shown co