By Geoff Michaels
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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