Antidepressants may aid in stroke recovery, reported researchers in the December issue of Annals of Neurology.
Researchers at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research reported that a single dose of fluoxetine improved scores on movement tests and activated brain areas responsible for movement in patients who had recent lacunar strokes.
Eight patients were studied 2 to 3 weeks after having a stroke. These patients experienced limited strokes affecting only their movement and not their ability to understand or follow instructions. The patients were divided into two groups. One group received the drug 14 days after the stroke (when the first movement testing was performed), while the others received a placebo. One week later, the movement testing was repeated, with those who received the placebo now getting the drug and vice versa.
The movement testing assessed a patient's performance on simple tasks such as rapid finger . . . [Full Text of this Article]
