Study wrapper · #703
[The efficacy of semax in the tretament of patients at different stages of ischemic stroke].
Editor's note
A human clinical study of 110 ischemic-stroke patients evaluated Semax alongside rehabilitation timing. Patients receiving Semax showed higher plasma BDNF levels that stayed elevated, and the authors reported faster improvement and better final Barthel-index (daily-function) scores, with correlations between BDNF, early rehabilitation and motor recovery. This is among the more clinically relevant items here, but design limitations matter: the semax-plus versus semax-minus subgroup structure suggests it was not a rigorous randomized double-blind trial, so confounding by indication and rehabilitation timing is hard to exclude. Read it as suggestive human data consistent with the rodent BDNF story, not high-quality efficacy evidence. Independent randomized trials would be needed to draw firm conclusions.
Plain-language abstract
This study looked at 110 people recovering from an ischemic stroke (caused by a blocked brain artery). Patients were grouped by how soon they started rehabilitation and by whether they received Semax, given as a standard course over two 10-day periods. The researchers measured a brain growth factor called BDNF in the blood, along with muscle strength and a score of everyday functioning (the Barthel index). Patients who received Semax had higher BDNF levels that stayed elevated, and they tended to improve faster and reach better final functioning scores. Earlier rehabilitation also helped. Because patients were not clearly randomly assigned and the study was not blinded, other differences between groups could partly explain the results. This is encouraging human data, but not the kind of rigorous trial needed to confirm that Semax itself caused the improvement.