According to a new study published in the February 2010 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, researchers from the University of Iowa report that escitalopram seems to improve cognitive recovery in stroke patients.

This 12-month study included 129 non-depressed stroke patients who were evaluated at the University of Iowa Stroke Center from July 9, 2003 to October 1, 2007. The study participants were randomly assigned to receive either escitalopram, a placebo pill, or problem solving therapy (PST) within 3 months following their stroke. The researchers found that, after 12 months, the patients who received escitalopram experienced an improvement in verbal and visual memory functions compared with their counterparts. Stroke patients who received escitalopram were also significantly more likely to show improvement in their activities of daily living.

After a stroke occurs, there is a period of spontaneous recovery where the brain reorganizes itself in order to compensate for deficits in areas that were damaged by the stroke. It is thought that antidepressants such as escitalopram might help this reorganization process. Based on the findings of this study, a relatively low dose of escitalopram can be safely administered to non-depressed stroke patients as a restorative therapy. If these results can be replicated in larger studies, healthcare providers may be able to consider adding this treatment – either by itself or in combination with stroke rehabilitation therapy – in stroke patients.