PILOT-STUDY OF SHORT-TERM THYROTROPIN-RELEASING-HORMONE TREATMENT IN STABILIZED FOCAL CEREBRAL-ISCHEMIA - A PHARMACOENCEPHALOGRAPHIC STUDY

Quantitative electroencephalography (q-EEG) was carried out in 20 pati ents, who had suffered from a single ischemic stroke 1 to 3 months pri or to commencement of the study, before (T0) and after 14 days of trea tment with thyrotropin-releasing hormone tartrate (TRH-T)4 mg/day or p lacebo (T1), and 7 days after drug suspension (T2). TRH-T and placebo treatments did not show any statistically significant effect on q-EEG. Nevertheless, TRH-T showed a trend toward decreased delta and theta r elative power intensity (RPI) and toward increased alpha RPI. This pat tern was clear at T1 and was still evident at T2. Power spectral analy sis of TRH-T-treated stroke patients showed a shift of alpha peak from 8.5 Hz at T0 to 9.0 Hz at T1 and to 8.63 Hz at T2. These features sug gest that TRH-T behaves as a psychoactive drug after short-term admini stration in patients with chronic cerebrovascular disease.