I worked a couple years in a stroke lab at Stanford University
as a med student. I didn't work in rehab, but I'd recommend
going to the nearest med library, because there are tons of
literature and many books on stroke rehab. As for a definition,
stroke embraces several different types. There's ischemic
stroke, which involves a decrease of blood flow to the brain,
usually due to clogged arteries, resulting in neuronal cell
death.
There's hemorrhagic stroke, which is the result of a ruptured
blood vessel, sometimes due to an aneurysm, trauma or
ateriovenous malformation, which is this ball of malformed
blood vessels that easily bleed.
But if you say stroke is a cerebovascular disorder caused by
insufficient blood flow, I don't think anyone would quibble.
So, I think the best bet is to look up "Stroke Rehabilitation"
in the library. Other key words would be "cerebrovascular
disease," "ischemia," and "brain." Hope that helps.
ed
