BCIwiki (bciwiki.com) — Brain-computer interface (BCI) training significantly improves upper-limb motor function after stroke, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of 35 randomized controlled trials involving 1,188 participants. The review, by researchers from Zhejiang University, Beijing Sport University, Nanjing Medical University and other institutions, was published in Frontiers in Neurology on September 3, 2026. Pooled data showed mean improvements of 4.55 points on the Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity (FMA-UE; 95% CI: 2.84 to 6.25), 3.90 points on the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT; 95% CI: 1.31 to 6.50), and 8.53 points on the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT; 95% CI: 3.01 to 14.04).
The team searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and other databases for randomized controlled trials published up to May 2026. Effects varied by comparator type: the mean difference in FMA-UE was 6.70 points against usual care but only 1.97 points against sham-contingent controls, a significant between-group difference. Stroke stage, signal strategy and feedback modality did not significantly modify the effect. On neuroplasticity, 22 trials reported multi-level changes spanning corticospinal excitability, sensorimotor rhythm modulation and network reorganization, but the evidence was too heterogeneous and sparse to support a mechanistic account of recovery. The review was registered in PROSPERO under identifier CRD420251053630.