Trial reportJournal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation2026
Escitalopram promotes recovery from hand paresis in cortical sensori-motor stroke: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled longitudinal study.
Trial report in Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Correction: Escitalopram promotes recovery from hand paresis in cortical sensori-motor stroke: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled longitudinal study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSelective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been proposed to support post-stroke motor recovery, but evidence for domain-specific behavioral effects and associated neural mechanisms remains limited. This study examined whether early escitalopram administration influences recovery of within-hand motor dexterity following first-ever sensorimotor stroke affecting the pre- or postcentral gyrus.
methodsIn a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, participants were randomized to receive escitalopram or placebo during the first three months post-stroke. Motor dexterity was assessed behaviorally and with fMRI using an imitation-based task requiring observation and execution of grasp–regrasp movements. Measurements were acquired at baseline, three months, and nine months. Behavioral effects were analyzed using nonparametric statistics and a complementary permutation framework to assess robustness under small-sample conditions.
resultsThe escitalopram group showed greater improvement in Jebsen–Taylor Test subtest 1 from baseline to three months and in finger gaiting from three to nine months, with both effects supported by permutation testing. fMRI revealed increased activation in a left-hemispheric premotor–opercular–striatal network (OP6, BA44, anterior insula, posterior putamen) and in right premotor subarea 6v3 during motor execution in the escitalopram group. The placebo group, by contrast, exhibited increased activity in the left mediodorsal thalamus at nine months, consistent with compensatory recruitment.
conclusionAlthough based on a small, highly specific cohort, the findings suggest that early escitalopram administration may facilitate recovery of fine motor control by supporting normalization of task-relevant cortical and subcortical networks. The placebo group’s delayed recovery pattern, characterized by thalamic overactivation, is compatible with compensatory executive engagement. Larger studies are needed to confirm these preliminary but mechanistically informative results.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.