Every year, approximately 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke in the United States, meaning that every 40 seconds someone has a stroke. In the United States, stroke is the third most frequent cause of death and the leading cause of lasting hemiparesis and adult disability. Since the prevalence of stroke increases with age, and since the world population is aging, the incidence of stroke is expected to rise in the coming years. This will become a significant societal burden since the care of stroke survivors is costly, to the individual and to society.