Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0038454 (stroke)
 147,016 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Depression occurs frequently in post-stroke patients and appears to be associated with an impairment in their rehabilitation and functional recovery. Although selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) are often used in post-stroke depression (PSD), it has been observed that only a subset of patients is responsive to this treatment. Other patients respond to tricyclic antidepressants or MAO inhibitors, which, however, may not have a favorable profile of safety and tolerability in post-stroke patients. In this double-blinded, placebo-controlled study, we evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of the noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, reboxetine, in a subset of PSD patients classified as affected by "retarded" depression. Reboxetine (4 mg, twice daily, for 16 weeks) was administered to patients that developed depression after a single ischaemic or hemorrhagic stroke. We assessed the severity of depressive symptoms by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). HDRS and BDI scores (mean+/-S.D.) at baseline were, respectively, 24+/-1.31 and 19.87+/-1.46 in the placebo group, 24.06+/-1.52 and 20.56+/-2.16 in the reboxetine group. After 16 weeks, HDRS and BDI mean scores were respectively 22.73+/-2.4 and 18.4+/-3.33 in the placebo group, 9.26+/-2.15 and 8.06+/-3.43 in the reboxetine group [p<0.01 versus the respective baseline (paired t-test); (#)p<0.01 versus retarded depressed patients treated with placebo (one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) applied to the difference from baseline, associated with Dunnett's t-test to isolate the differences)]. Reboxetine showed a good efficacy, safety and tolerability in PSD patients affected by "retarded" depression. We conclude that reboxetine is well tolerated and may be a useful therapeutic option in PSD patients with "retarded" depression.
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PMID:An evaluation of efficacy and safety of reboxetine in elderly patients affected by "retarded" post-stroke depression. A random, placebo-controlled study. 1581 61

Animal experiments have indicated that noradrenergic agents can improve the recovery from stroke. In this double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study, hemiparetic chronic stroke patients (n = 10) received a single dose of the noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor reboxetine or placebo. Then the patients participated in one hour of physiotherapy focused on function of the paretic hand. Three different motor assessments (tapping speed, grip strength, dexterity evaluation) were performed before drug intake, 1.5 hours later and after the physiotherapy session. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to investigate motor excitability by measuring motor thresholds and amplitudes of motor evoked potentials. Both hands were studied. Compared with placebo, reboxetine ingestion was followed by an increase of tapping speed and grip strength in the paretic but not in the unaffected hand. No further improvement was noticed after physiotherapy. TMS results and dexterity measurements remained unchanged. We conclude that reboxetine improved simple hand functions in chronic stroke patients. Reboxetine should be considered as an additional tool in neurorehabilitation.
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PMID:Reboxetine improves motor function in chronic stroke. A pilot study. 1727 11