Courtesy of http://www.tele-management.ca
Testosterone replacement therapy may help stroke victims during
recovery, according to preliminary results of a study at Saint Louis
University.
Researchers discovered testosterone’s possible benefits in a study
conducted on castrated rats that had suffered strokes. During recovery,
half of the rats received testosterone, and half received a placebo. The
rats receiving the testosterone showed significant improvements in
neurological defects versus the rats which did not.
Normally, testosterone – a male sex hormone – is prescribed for men
with low testosterone levels. Symptoms of low testosterone levels
include reduced sex drive, poor muscle strength, depression and
cognitive problems.
Researchers noted that these are the same symptoms exhibited by many
people after a stroke. Moreover, according to researchers, many of the
therapy techniques used for stroke victims were adapted from therapy for
people returning from combat without use of a limb.
Stroke, however, presents a different challenge, and may require
different medical therapy. So far, these results are very preliminary,
and the team hopes to launch a study in human beings.
“We are trying to find newer, better techniques, including
pharmacological techniques, to improve the outcomes of patients who have
had strokes,” researchers say.
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