Correction of Psychoemotional Disorders Using Peptide Therapy in Patients in Acute Period of Stroke

Psychoemotional state is crucial for successful rehabilitation process, influencing patients' motivation to restore neurological functions, quality of life and risk of death [1]. The use of peptide drugs is being extensively studied in the treatment of a wide range of diseases, due to their high therapeutic potential and specific, safe mechanism of action [2]. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of the neuropeptide-containing drug Cortexin on the psychoemotional state of patients in the acute period of stroke in comparison with basic therapy. Materials and methods. An open randomized clinical trial was conducted with the participation of 27 patients aged 40-80 years in the acute period who first suffered an ischemic stroke in the carotid system. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups. The patients of the main group (n=16) received 20 mg of the drug Cortexin intramuscularly once a day for 10 days from admission. The patients in the control group (n=11) received only basic therapy. The effect of the therapy on the psychoemotional state in the clinical study was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Well-Being-Activity-Mood Questionnaire (WAM) on day 21 compared with the baseline level upon admission to the hospital. Results. By the time the patients were discharged on day 21, the participants in both groups showed improvements in well-being, activity, and mood. However, the most noticeable effect after the therapy was recorded in the group of the patients receiving Cortexin at a dose of 20 mg. Thus, in the main group, the indicators of well-being and activity were, on average, 2 points better in the median compared with the control group. Also, the main group demonstrated a decrease in asthenia and fatigue, which indicates the corrective effect of Cortexin on this condition, whereas the control group showed a remaining imbalance between the indicators of the WAM questionnaire, indicating the presence of asthenia and fatigue in the patients. Conclusions. The inclusion of Cortexin as part of comprehensive early rehabilitation of patients in the acute period of stroke demonstrated effectiveness for the correction of psycho-emotional disorders, in particular asthenia.