Psychostimulant treatment of stroke and brain injury.
Psychopharmacology is rapidly becoming an adjuvant treatment to traditional rehabilitation strategies for patients with stroke or brain injury because it helps to facilitate recovery in a time-efficient manner. Norepinephrine, dopamine, acetylcholine, and serotonin appear to play important roles in recovery from stroke or brain injury. Animal models have shown that blockade of these neurotransmitters inhibits recovery, whereas recovery is promoted by drugs that promote norepinephrine, dopamine, acetylcholine, and serotonin activity. Preliminary evidence from human trials supports these findings. Further study is needed, but expanded use of pharmacologic agents for stroke and brain-injured patients appears imminent.
Flanagan
S R
SR
Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.