Abstract
<jats:p>The aim of this study was to assess cognitive and psychomotor functions in patients after ischemic stroke depending on the timing of rehabilitation initiation using computerized neuropsychophysiological tests. The study included 43 patients who had experienced an ischemic stroke and were undergoing treatment in a neurorehabilitation department. Participants were divided into two groups according to the timing of rehabilitation initiation. The early rehabilitation group consisted of 28 patients who began rehabilitation within 30 days after hospitalization, whereas the late rehabilitation group included 15 patients who started rehabilitation more than 30 days after hospitalization. Cognitive and psychomotor functions were assessed using the Neuro-MVP system for measuring neuropsychophysiological variables. The testing protocol included tasks evaluating attention, working memory, visual perception, hand-eye coordination, reaction time, and accuracy of task performance. Measurements were performed twice, before the beginning of the rehabilitation cycle and after its completion. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS IBM Statistics 26. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0,05. The results demonstrated that early rehabilitation was associated with statistically significant improvements in the majority of assessed cognitive and psychomotor parameters. Significant reductions in task completion time and reaction time, as well as improvements in attention, memory performance, and coordination accuracy, were observed after the rehabilitation cycle. In contrast, patients who initiated rehabilitation later demonstrated significant improvements in a smaller number of parameters. Although positive changes were observed in both groups, the magnitude and consistency of improvement were more pronounced in patients undergoing early rehabilitation. In conclusion, early initiation of rehabilitation after ischemic stroke contributes to more substantial recovery of cognitive and psychomotor functions compared with delayed rehabilitation. Computerized neuropsychophysiological testing represents a promising tool for objective monitoring of functional changes during rehabilitation and may support the development of individualized rehabilitation strategies for patients recovering from stroke.</jats:p>