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ST. LOUIS, Oct 05, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Men who have had strokes could benefit from supplemental doses of the male sex hormone testosterone, researchers at St Louis University have found.
"It looks like testosterone speeds up the recovery from a stroke," said Yi Pan, assistant professor of neurology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and principal investigator on the study. "While the results are encouraging, this is still very preliminary and we need to do more research."
The scientists compared two groups of castrated rats that had suffered strokes. Half received testosterone and half a placebo. The rats that received testosterone showed significant improvement in neurological deficits while those in the control group did not.
Testosterone replacement therapy usually is given to men who have low testosterone, whose symptoms include low libido, poor muscle strength, depression and cognitive problems -- all similar to symptoms following a stroke.
The research is being presented this week at the American Neurological Association annual convention in Toronto.
Copyright 2004 by United Press International.
