Study type: Human research · Status: Verified against declared source

Cerebrolysin effects on neurological outcomes and cerebral blood flow in acute ischemic stroke

Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment · 2014

Study scale: In a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, 46 patients who had acute focal ischemic stroke were randomly assigned into two groups to receive intravenously either 30 mL of cerebrolysin diluted in normal saline daily for 10 days (n=23) or normal saline alone (n=23) adjunct to 100 mg of aspirin daily.

Abstract only: Open source record

Product or molecular entity relationships

  • Cerebrolysin: Exact entity relationship. Legacy citation custody associates this source with the catalog record; no product-relevance conclusion is implied.

Plain-language verified summary

Question

Cerebrolysin, a brain-derived neuropeptide, has been shown to improve the neurological outcomes of stroke, but no study has demonstrated its effect on cerebral blood flow.

Methods

Neurotrophic molecules have important role in microglial cells’ activity; therefore, agents with neurotrophic properties will be the new strategies for treatment and prevention in neurodegenerative diseases.19 Cerebrolysin is the only drug containing neurotrophic molecules, which has been provided from some brain-derived proteins.

Scale or participants

In a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, 46 patients who had acute focal ischemic stroke were randomly assigned into two groups to receive intravenously either 30 mL of cerebrolysin diluted in normal saline daily for 10 days (n=23) or normal saline alone (n=23) adjunct to 100 mg of aspirin daily.

Key findings

Cerebrolysin, a brain-derived neuropeptide, has been shown to improve the neurological outcomes of stroke, but no study has demonstrated its effect on cerebral blood flow.

Limitations and uncertainty

The baseline NIHSS score was comparable between the groups (cerebrolysin median of 14, interquartile range 13–15 versus placebo median of 14, interquartile range 12–16, P=0.432); however, the NIHSS values were significantly lower in the cerebrolysin group compared with the placebo group on day 60 (median 10, interquartile range 9–11 versus median 12, interquartile range 10–14, P=0.008) and day 90 (median 9, interquartile range 8–10 versus median 11, interquartile range 10–13.5, P=0.001).

Verified against declared source. Verification is limited to the declared source and review scope. It does not mean independent replication or establish efficacy, safety, or suitability.