Partial motor restoration upon administration of sildenafil: a case study.

Objective: Extensive research in the past decade has confirmed that the adult brain maintains some plasticity, including neural cell birth, migration and integration. Pre-clinical data strongly suggest that phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors promote cerebral neovascularization and neurogenes...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Developmental Neurorehabilitation Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 39 - 44
Autor principal: Cocchiarella, Antonio
Formato: case study pictorial research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd Feb2012
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:Objective: Extensive research in the past decade has confirmed that the adult brain maintains some plasticity, including neural cell birth, migration and integration. Pre-clinical data strongly suggest that phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors promote cerebral neovascularization and neurogenesis. Animal studies of cerebral stroke suggest potential regenerative benefits following treatment with sildenafil citrate, a PDE5 inhibitor. This study reports a case in which compassionate use of sildenafil was investigated as a treatment to improve physical functioning, more than 4 decades after development of spastic quadriplegia during the 1st-2nd year of life. Methods: Sildenafil 100 mg was administered every 24 hours for 7 months. Results: Sildenafil treatment was associated with clinical (functional) improvement. Conclusions: The activity of sildenafil on cerebral neovascularization and neurogenesis may be the mechanism for the observed functional benefits.