Amphetamines for improving recovery after stroke

Neurostimulant Use for Rehabilitation and Recovery After Stroke: A Narrative Literature Review

“…The mechanism through which amphetamines may enhance stroke recovery is unclear, but possibly involves enhanced repair processes at the level of the synapse ( e.g. , by increasing density of synapses) or increased alertness after stroke 22 - 24 .…”

“…We hope our review will serve as a comprehensive and accessible guide on neurostimulants after stroke for the interested clinician. Other reviews on this topic are numerous but tend to focus on a subclass of medications or a type of post-stroke deficit 5 , 22 , 67 - 76 . For instance, Martinsson et al focused solely on amphetamines and their effect on post stroke recovery 22 and Zhang et al focused solely on the pharmacological treatment of aphasia after stroke 68 .…”

Neurostimulant Use for Rehabilitation and Recovery After Stroke: A Narrative Literature Review

“…The mechanism through which amphetamines may enhance stroke recovery is unclear, but possibly involves enhanced repair processes at the level of the synapse ( e.g. , by increasing density of synapses) or increased alertness after stroke 22 - 24 .…”

“…We hope our review will serve as a comprehensive and accessible guide on neurostimulants after stroke for the interested clinician. Other reviews on this topic are numerous but tend to focus on a subclass of medications or a type of post-stroke deficit 5 , 22 , 67 - 76 . For instance, Martinsson et al focused solely on amphetamines and their effect on post stroke recovery 22 and Zhang et al focused solely on the pharmacological treatment of aphasia after stroke 68 .…”

Extended Poststroke Rehabilitation Combined with Cerebrolysin Promotes Upper Limb Motor Recovery in Early Subacute Phase of Rehabilitation: A Randomized Clinical Study

“…The authors pointed out that citalopram but not fluoxetine improved the recovery outcomes of patients after stroke, but improvement in the disability was not recorded after treatment with SSRIs. Most studies to date have reported minimal side effects in relation of dopamine agonists and SSRI use in the stroke population [ 64 , 65 ], but special caution is suggested for administrating amphetamine-like drugs in the long term [ 66 ]. Considering the variety of plastic mechanisms that enhance motor recovery, the most important role of neuropharmacological agents should be the capacity to simultaneously promote neuroprotection and an ability to switch to neuroplasticity at the same time [ 67 ].…”

Effects of monoaminergic drugs on training-induced motor cortex plasticity in older adults

“…As training-induced M1 plasticity is influenced both by the normal aging process as well as the neuropathology, the limited understanding of the effects of normal aging on neuroplasticity processes and drug mechanisms may contribute to the inconsistency in previous literature regarding the clinical effectiveness of drugs in populations with neurologic diagnoses. Several recent reviews have concluded that although drugs such as AMPH continues to be a popular ‘recovery-enhancing’ drug for neurologic disorders such as stroke, data from human studies and clinical trials are disappointing and lack consensus (Barbay and Nudo, 2009; Breceda and Dromerick, 2013; Goldstein, 2009; Martinsson et al, 2007a, b). The effects of monoaminergic drugs such as AMPH and DOPA on motor recovery depend on several factors such as lesion location, dosing and timing of drug administration, type, intensity and timing of concomitant behavioral training (Goldstein, 2009).…”

Neurostimulant Use for Rehabilitation and Recovery After Stroke: A Narrative Literature Review

“…The mechanism through which amphetamines may enhance stroke recovery is unclear, but possibly involves enhanced repair processes at the level of the synapse ( e.g. , by increasing density of synapses) or increased alertness after stroke 22 - 24 .…”

“…We hope our review will serve as a comprehensive and accessible guide on neurostimulants after stroke for the interested clinician. Other reviews on this topic are numerous but tend to focus on a subclass of medications or a type of post-stroke deficit 5 , 22 , 67 - 76 . For instance, Martinsson et al focused solely on amphetamines and their effect on post stroke recovery 22 and Zhang et al focused solely on the pharmacological treatment of aphasia after stroke 68 .…”

Extended Poststroke Rehabilitation Combined with Cerebrolysin Promotes Upper Limb Motor Recovery in Early Subacute Phase of Rehabilitation: A Randomized Clinical Study

“…The authors pointed out that citalopram but not fluoxetine improved the recovery outcomes of patients after stroke, but improvement in the disability was not recorded after treatment with SSRIs. Most studies to date have reported minimal side effects in relation of dopamine agonists and SSRI use in the stroke population [ 64 , 65 ], but special caution is suggested for administrating amphetamine-like drugs in the long term [ 66 ]. Considering the variety of plastic mechanisms that enhance motor recovery, the most important role of neuropharmacological agents should be the capacity to simultaneously promote neuroprotection and an ability to switch to neuroplasticity at the same time [ 67 ].…”

Effects of monoaminergic drugs on training-induced motor cortex plasticity in older adults

“…As training-induced M1 plasticity is influenced both by the normal aging process as well as the neuropathology, the limited understanding of the effects of normal aging on neuroplasticity processes and drug mechanisms may contribute to the inconsistency in previous literature regarding the clinical effectiveness of drugs in populations with neurologic diagnoses. Several recent reviews have concluded that although drugs such as AMPH continues to be a popular ‘recovery-enhancing’ drug for neurologic disorders such as stroke, data from human studies and clinical trials are disappointing and lack consensus (Barbay and Nudo, 2009; Breceda and Dromerick, 2013; Goldstein, 2009; Martinsson et al, 2007a, b). The effects of monoaminergic drugs such as AMPH and DOPA on motor recovery depend on several factors such as lesion location, dosing and timing of drug administration, type, intensity and timing of concomitant behavioral training (Goldstein, 2009).…”

Neurostimulant Use for Rehabilitation and Recovery After Stroke: A Narrative Literature Review

“…The mechanism through which amphetamines may enhance stroke recovery is unclear, but possibly involves enhanced repair processes at the level of the synapse ( e.g. , by increasing density of synapses) or increased alertness after stroke 22 - 24 .…”

“…We hope our review will serve as a comprehensive and accessible guide on neurostimulants after stroke for the interested clinician. Other reviews on this topic are numerous but tend to focus on a subclass of medications or a type of post-stroke deficit 5 , 22 , 67 - 76 . For instance, Martinsson et al focused solely on amphetamines and their effect on post stroke recovery 22 and Zhang et al focused solely on the pharmacological treatment of aphasia after stroke 68 .…”

Extended Poststroke Rehabilitation Combined with Cerebrolysin Promotes Upper Limb Motor Recovery in Early Subacute Phase of Rehabilitation: A Randomized Clinical Study

“…The authors pointed out that citalopram but not fluoxetine improved the recovery outcomes of patients after stroke, but improvement in the disability was not recorded after treatment with SSRIs. Most studies to date have reported minimal side effects in relation of dopamine agonists and SSRI use in the stroke population [ 64 , 65 ], but special caution is suggested for administrating amphetamine-like drugs in the long term [ 66 ]. Considering the variety of plastic mechanisms that enhance motor recovery, the most important role of neuropharmacological agents should be the capacity to simultaneously promote neuroprotection and an ability to switch to neuroplasticity at the same time [ 67 ].…”

Effects of monoaminergic drugs on training-induced motor cortex plasticity in older adults

“…As training-induced M1 plasticity is influenced both by the normal aging process as well as the neuropathology, the limited understanding of the effects of normal aging on neuroplasticity processes and drug mechanisms may contribute to the inconsistency in previous literature regarding the clinical effectiveness of drugs in populations with neurologic diagnoses. Several recent reviews have concluded that although drugs such as AMPH continues to be a popular ‘recovery-enhancing’ drug for neurologic disorders such as stroke, data from human studies and clinical trials are disappointing and lack consensus (Barbay and Nudo, 2009; Breceda and Dromerick, 2013; Goldstein, 2009; Martinsson et al, 2007a, b). The effects of monoaminergic drugs such as AMPH and DOPA on motor recovery depend on several factors such as lesion location, dosing and timing of drug administration, type, intensity and timing of concomitant behavioral training (Goldstein, 2009).…”