An Open Clinical Trial of Cortexin in Cerebral Ischemia

Objective. To investigate the efficacy of Cortexin in the treatment of cognitive and affective disorders in cerebral ischemia (AI) developing on the background of arterial hypertension or atherosclerosis. Materials and methods. We present an analysis of the all-Russian screening program for the efficacy of Cortexin, “Cognitive and Affective Disorders in the Treatment of Cerebral Ischemia with Cortexin” (KarKaDE), in 50,000 patients with AI developing on the background of arterial hypertension and/or atherosclerosis in 2013 in 70 Russian cities. Results. All patients received Cortexin at a dose of 10 mg/day for 10 days and were investigated before treatment and on days 11 and 30 after the first dose. More extensive analysis was applied to results from the treatment of 500 patients with stage II AI, mean age 63.7 ± 10.23 years. Treatment efficacy was evaluated using a five-point rating scale for subjective and objective neurological symptoms, the five-word memory test, the Schulte test, the MMSE, the Hamilton scales for evaluation of anxiety, and the short form of the Geriatric Depression Scale. Conclusions. Treatment decreased or completely eliminated focal neurological symptomatology and produced positive changes in measures of cognitive impairments, these changes being accompanied by normalization of patients’ emotional status and decreases in the level of depression.