Dr. Michael Kilgard

We can do an experiment.

So finding out, we'll know the answer.

On stroke, which we talked about before, enhancing plasticity, you mentioned Prozac.

Fluoxetine is the name of the agent.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor increases serotonin and has effects on brain-derived neurotrophic factor and all the rest.

It looked really promising in animals.

Many, many published studies did the same thing we did, which is why we didn't think our thing was going to work.

We took the therapy, which we know is helpful, practice using your paw that's injured, and then add the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, and the animals made progress.

And we did it again and again.

We did it in monkeys.

We did it in cats.

We did it in rats.

And then we did it in people.

And lo and behold, the people got better.

And then we did a large-scale randomized trial, and they didn't do anything.

So it was 1,500 people with stroke.

We gave them Prozac.

And you will not be surprised that the new onset of depression was slightly lower in the group who had active antidepressant.

That makes sense.

You may or may not be surprised that the group who got the Prozac also had more hip fractures because, of course, serotonin is critically involved in laying down bone.