Effects of amphetamines and small related molecules on recovery after stroke in animals and man

Drugs modulating the levels of specific central neurotransmitters may influ ence both the rate and amount of functional recovery after focal brain inju ries such as stroke. Because such drugs may be effective long after brain i njury, the "therapeutic window" may be widened beyond the first few hour af ter stroke and an entirely new avenue for pharmacological intervention may be possible. The impact of drugs affecting norepinephrine and gamma-aminobu tyric acid have been among the mast extensively studied in the laboratory, and preliminary clinical data suggest similar effects in humans. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.