Brief Overview
This course reviews the persistent functional impact of chronic ischemic stroke and the neuroplasticity principles required to drive meaningful upper-extremity recovery. Learners will explore why traditional rehabilitation often fails to deliver sufficient repetitions for cortical change and how Paired Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) enhances the effectiveness of task-specific practice. The session integrates current evidence, FDA-approved indications, treatment design principles, and real-world clinical implementation strategies for Vivistim® Paired VNS™ Therapy.

Learning Objectives
After completing this course, participants will be able to:
- Explain the role of neuroplasticity and high-repetition, task-specific practice in upper-limb motor recovery after chronic ischemic stroke.
- Describe the mechanism of action, FDA-approved indication, and clinical evidence supporting Paired VNS Therapy.
- Apply core VNS therapy principles (active movement, salience, task specificity, and repetition) to treatment planning and patient selection in clinical practice.

Presenters

Amanda Saylor OTR/L, CNS, CBIS

Amanda Saylor is an occupational therapist specialized in neurological rehab; she is a certified brain injury specialist and a certified neurological specialist. Amanda previously worked as the Lead Occupational Therapist for AdventHealth's outpatient neurological clinics across central Florida, where she led the development of their Vivistim program.Amanda personally worked with over 25 Vivistim patients during her time with AdventHealth and with this experience she delivered numerous CEUcourses on best practices for pairing therapy with Vivistim. In 2025, Amanda joined the MicroTransponder team in professional education, continuing her passion for training clinicians and advancing outcomes for individuals living with chronic stroke.

Sarah Blair, OTR/L