Methods, systems, and devices for pairing vagus nerve stimulation with motor therapy in patient who has hemiparesis

A method for treatment of a patient who has hemiparesis, the method comprising:

• for each of one or more tasks that are intended to be performed, instructing the patient to perform the task at least once, the task including one or more associated voluntary muscle movements, and the task being rehabilitative for hemiparesis;
• and
• in temporal proximity to at least one of the one or more tasks,
• stimulating a vagus nerve of the patient using electrical stimulation thereby improving the patient's hemiparesis.

A motor-deficit-therapeutic method for treatment of a patient who has hemiparesis, the method comprising:

• for each of one or more tasks that are intended to be performed, instructing the patient to perform at least one repetition of the task, the task including one or more associated voluntary muscle movements, and the task being rehabilitative for hemiparesis;
• and
• in temporal proximity to at least one of the one or more tasks,
• stimulating a vagus nerve of the patient using electrical stimulation which creates an opportunity of motor cortex plasticity in a brain of the patient for an opportunity period;
• and
• wherein the temporal proximity pairs the at least one of the one or more tasks and the opportunity period thereby improving the patient's hemiparesis.

A therapeutic method for treatment of a patient who has hemiparesis but who does not have a movement disorder disease, the method comprising:

• for one or more tasks that are intended to be performed, instructing the patient to perform at least one repetition of each task, each task including one or more associated voluntary muscle movements, and each task being rehabilitative for hemiparesis;
• and
• in temporal proximity to at least one of the one or more tasks,
• stimulating a vagus nerve of the patient using electrical stimulation thereby improving the patient's hemiparesis.