Pharmacotherapy for recovery of function after brain injury.

Considerable attention has recently been focused on the development of pharmacotherapies for promotion of recovery of function after brain injury. This article reviews both animal and human experimentation in two areas which appear to have considerable clinical applicability in the very near future for promoting recovery: drug manipulation of neurotransmitter systems and administration of gangliosides. Since the most important problem after brain injury is restoration of lost behavioral capabilities, this is the central theme of this review. The possible mechanisms of the effects of these pharmacological agents are only discussed for treatments with demonstrated beneficial or harmful effects on behavioral recovery. An attempt is also made to indicate possible common mechanisms and the clinical potential of the various treatments; future directions for research are suggested.