An important breakthrough in understanding how the brain works could help stroke patients to regain their speech. The UK charity Action Medical Research has announced the results of the study as a "leap forward in understanding".

The charity says that patients could benefit from this discovery within the next three to five years.  Up to one quarter of stroke patients suffer from speech impairment of some degree. This can mean difficulty with speaking and understanding what is said to them or even trouble with reading and writing.

Some people find that, over time, their speech and understanding improves but many more face an uphill struggle and some never recover; even with therapy. Until now little was known about why some patients make progress and some do not.

Walking therapy for stroke survivors is significantly more effective when conducted by a physical therapist instead of a robot, according a small study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.  

Research suggests that, for a patient who has neurological damage from stroke or spinal cord injury, moving the legs in a way that mimics walking on a treadmill can facilitate walking recovery.

Physical therapists often assist stroke patients too weak to walk on their own by fitting them in a harness, putting them on a treadmill and helping them move as they would when walking. But this can be physically demanding on a therapist, and robotic devices have been developed as an alterative to relieve the therapist.