| Sumario: | Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) has shown a neurotrophic effect in the neurons of several CNS areas. <em>In vivo</em>, it contributes to restore neurochemical and morphological deficits in different rodent models of brain damage, including rats with brain damage induced by hypoxia/ischemia when FGF was intramuscularly (i.m.) administered. Toxicological and immunological studies performed in rats, mice and volunteers showed no evidence of side-effects. Bovine FGF was i.m. administered in children with mental retardation caused by perinatal hypoxia, aged 1-15 years, at dosages of 0.4 or 0.28 ug kg-1, once or twice a month, over 7-12 months. Group A [n= 12; 6 treated (T), 6 controls (Ct)], group B (n=16; 8 T, 8 Ct) and group C (n = 67; 45 T, 22 Ct) were evaluated with the P. A. R. scale, the WISC-RM and the Gesell scale, respectively. Development increased significantly in treated children from groups A (P<0.02) and C (P<0.001), and IQ rose by more than 10 points (P<0.001) in group B patients.
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