Strategies to augment recovery after stroke

Abstract

The improvement of recovery after stroke remains one of the main priorities for patients with stroke. Acute de-occlusion of the artery should improve patient outcome and recovery. Recent data and meta-analysis confirmed the efficacy of IV thrombolysis when administered to selected patients less than 4.5 hours after the onset of ischemic stroke even in patients aged > 80 years. IV thrombolysis with rTPA is currently the only validated treatment for the acute phase of ischemic stroke. This has lead to a major public health effort to create stroke treatment units in developed countries. Mechanical thrombectomy is not yet validated despite major support from clinicians and the industry overall. Many other treatment options are currently being tested in various other therapeutic areas. Some data show clearly that some of these options are now close to clinical significance: specific and adapted rehabilitation procedures that will include a rationale in patients' care management, use of monoaminergic drugs like SSRIs with improvement of motor recovery through a specific action on cortical excitability, cortical stimulation or inhibition with magnetic or electric techniques with the aim of modifying functional inter cortical balance and connections, and clinical and bio markers of recovery that would help to ensure appropriate individual care of each patient. Finally, repair therapies with the aim of restoring the brain-damaged networks could be useful in patients with persistent severe deficits. Several classes are under study for brain repair, including the use of stem cells, growth factors, and small molecules, but these are still at a preclinical level of development.