Muscle atrophy, voluntary activation disturbances, and low serum concentrations of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 are associated with weakness in people with chronic stroke.

Background: The muscle weakness that is exhibited poststroke is due to a multifactorial etiology involving the central nervous system and skeletal muscle changes. Insulinlike growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and IGF binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) have been described as biomarkers of neuromuscular performance in many conditions. However, no information about these biomarkers is available for people with chronic hemiparesis.