The effect of cilostazol on apathy after cerebral infarction

Abstract

As is well known, apathy often occurs after cerebral infarction and is an important symptom preceding vascular dementia. It is important that we diagnose apathy in its early stage and prevent patients from developing vascular dementia using medical and social interventions to apathy. However, there are few studies on the pathophysiology of post-stroke apathy, and the evidence level is low for its treatment. In addition to anti-platelet and neuroprotective functions of cilostazol, animal studies showed an increased dopamine level in the brain after cilostazol administration, suggesting that this drug might reduce apathy after cerebral infarction. In this study, we compared the effects of cilostazol and aspirin on the apathy scale in patients with cerebral infarction at an acute stage. The drugs were administered for six months. The patient group given cilostazol showed lower apathy scores compared to the aspirin group. This result suggests that cilostazol is effective for preventing apathy after cerebral infarction.