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The final pilot results were published in Nature Medicine on 4 June 2026. Seven participants with profound deficits (Fugl-Meyer scores 15 to 35) were implanted for four weeks; with stimulation on, motor function improved immediately regardless of impairment severity, averaging a 32% increase in strength and a 5.6-point gain on the Fugl-Meyer Assessment, with reduced spasticity and no serious adverse events. This came from fewer than nine hours of movement-based training across the entire four weeks. But motor function declined when the stimulation was discontinued; Capogrosso’s team compare the effect to a hearing aid, enabling function while switched on. Some improvements did endure after a few weeks of use, which begs the next question: if a few hours of training with stimulation produces gains that mostly disappear when the stimulator is off, what happens with thousands of repetitions instead?

That’s the premise of the new study (NCT07153536), enrolling 20 adults with chronic upper limb weakness. Participants first complete six weeks of training; the stimulation system is then implanted, they repeat the same training with stimulation active throughout, and they are followed for up to six months to assess what is retained. No clinical service can staff the number of repetitions this requires, which is where MindMaze comes in; its platform combines FDA-cleared and CE-marked wearable sensors, motion tracking and AI-driven software to deliver high volumes of intent-driven practice without adding to clinical staffing. The Pitt team’s own paper notes that standard-of-care rehabilitation falls well short of the high doses required to see improvement. At ARNI, the ARNI Instructors and I work with survivors whose arm recovery stalled because they could never access a serious volume of practice like this so we’ll be watching with interest what the six-month follow-up shows.