A specific dopamine D1 agonist, DAS-431, for the treatment of hemispatial neglect and motor deficits following stroke.

中风后，患者通常会出现思维和控制手臂或腿部的困难。我们的研究将着眼于一种新药对右脑中风患者的影响。这些患者通常患有一种被称为半脑半球忽视的疾病。他们无法意识到左边的大物体——甚至是人。他们的左臂和左腿也经常无力或无法控制。目前，还没有有效的药物治疗这些问题。我们要测试的药物作用于一种叫做多巴胺D1受体的脑细胞受体。在对猴子的研究中，作用于该受体的药物改善了对空间位置的记忆，而空间记忆通常在患有半脑半球忽视的中风患者中受损。最近对中风患者的研究也表明，刺激大脑中的多巴胺受体可能改善对运动的控制。Masud Husain教授和Nick Ward博士是脑科医生，他们对治疗中风后的半脑忽视和运动问题特别感兴趣。他们将询问有这些问题的患者是否愿意参加一项测试，看看一种作用于多巴胺D1受体的药物是否能提高他们向左看或使用左臂或左腿的能力。医生们预测，从这种药物中获益最多的患者将是那些大脑额叶部分完好无损的人——因为这种药物很可能通过刺激大脑这部分的多巴胺受体来产生有益的效果。如果这项试验成功，就可以组织一项试验，看看这种治疗在更大的患者群体中有多有效。

After suffering a stroke patients often have difficulties with their thinking and in controlling their arm or leg. Our research will look at the effects of a new drug on individuals with a stroke of the right side of the brain. These patients often suffer from a condition called hemispatial neglect. They fail to be aware of large objects – even people – to their left. They also often have weakness or poor control of their left arm and leg. At the moment, there is no effective drug treatment for these problems.The drug we will test acts on a receptor on brain cells known as the dopamine D1 receptor. In studies on monkeys, drugs that act on this receptor improve memory for spatial locations, and spatial memory is often impaired in stroke patients with hemispatial neglect. Recent investigations in stroke patients also suggest that stimulating dopamine receptors in the brain may improve control of movement. Professor Masud Husain and Dr Nick Ward are brain doctors who have a special interest in trying to treat hemispatial neglect and motor problems after stroke. They will ask patients with these problems if they would like to take part in a test to see if a drug that acts at dopamine D1 receptors can improve their ability to look to the left or use their left arm or leg. The doctors predict that patients who benefit most from the drug will be those who have the frontal parts of their brain intact - because the drug is likely to have its beneficial effects by stimulating dopamine receptors in this part of the brain.If this test is successful, a trial could be organized to see how effective the treatment is in a larger group of patients.