Brain, Vol. 123, No. 4, 845-846,
April 2000
© 2000 Oxford University Press
Book Reviews |
RESTORATIVE NEUROLOGY. ADVANCES IN PHARMACOTHERAPY FOR RECOVERY AFTER STROKE.
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National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
Until 30 years ago, the acupuncturist or reflexologist knew more about neural plasticity than most clinical neuroscientists, who were taught that the adult central nervous system was hard-wired and the consequences of damage immutable. However, over the last 15 years an increasingly extensive literature has described activity-dependent remodelling of CNS pathways, particularly in cortex but also in other parts of the brain and spinal cord, and has paved the way for a clinical interest in recovery of neural function. Although these descriptions of neural plasticity have considerably influenced therapy techniques, they have yet to result in effective pharmacological facilitation of neural recovery, as Goldstein's book illustrates.
Rehabilitation programmes aim in general to increase functional activity
Notes