title: Acute but not delayed amphetamine treatment improves behavioral outcome in a rat embolic stroke model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to examine the effects of d-amphetamine (amph) upon recovery after embolic stroke in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-three rats were embolized in the right middle cerebral artery and assigned to: (1) controls; (2) combination (acute amph and later amph-facilitated retraining); (3) late amph (later amph-facilitated retraining alone); and (4) acute amph (acute amph alone). Animals in the combination and in the acute amph groups received a high dose of amph immediately after embolization, while later amph-facilitated retraining in the combination and late amph groups was done by administering a low dose of amph on post-stroke days 2, 5, 8, and 11 followed by retraining in Montoya's Staircase Test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Rats receiving acute amph immediately after embolization achieved an 11% increase in median blood pressure (P<0.05). An investigation of performances with the ipsilateral paws during days 14-21 showed that the acute amph group performed better than the control group (P<0.02). Infarct volumes were lower among animals in the acute amph group than in both the combination and the late amph groups (P<0.05), while the controls did not differ from any group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, results showed that the acute amph group performed the best, while the late amph and the combination groups performed the worst. Amphetamine treatment in acute stroke may be warranted due to reduced detrimental effects of hypotension and improved brain plasticity.
authors.affiliation: Stroke Unit, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Gentofte Hospital, Hellerup, Denmark. rsr@sund.ku.dk
authors.forename: Rune Skovgaard
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Overgaard
authors.forename: Uffe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kristiansen
authors.forename: Flemming Fryd
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Johansen
mesh_terms: D000661:Amphetamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D020766:Intracranial Embolism / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020127:Recovery of Function; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D000661:Amphetamine