Biomarkers of Reaction To HIIT Exercise

Stroke survivors with lower limb disability can improve their walking speed with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) rehabilitation therapy. However, some individuals may not respond to HIIT even when fully adherent to the program. To address this, the investigators propose to build a predictive model that identifies if a Veteran with chronic subcortical stroke will improve their walking speed with HIIT by incorporating blood lactate as an early predictor of exercise response, and inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) as predictors of the brain's potential to respond, while also taking into consideration other factors such as comorbidities, demographics, and fitness levels.