{"id":1383,"date":"2026-09-03T10:12:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T10:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vistaralabs.ca\/cerebrolysin-stroke-brain-injury-trials\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T08:24:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T08:24:49","slug":"cerebrolysin-stroke-brain-injury-trials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vistaralabs.ca\/fr\/cerebrolysin-stroke-brain-injury-trials\/","title":{"rendered":"Cerebrolysin: Stroke and Brain-Injury Research"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cerebrolysin has been tested in randomized, placebo-controlled trials for stroke and brain-injury recovery.<\/strong> Two of them, published in Stroke<\/em> and Neurological Sciences<\/em>, are worth reading closely.<\/p>\n

Findings<\/h2>\n
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  • In the CARS trial (208 stroke patients, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled), patients on Cerebrolysin recovered clearly more arm-and-hand function by day 90<\/strong> than patients on placebo.<\/li>\n
  • The advantage was large and statistically clear, and safety was comparable to placebo.<\/li>\n
  • In the CAPTAIN I trial of moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury<\/strong>, patients on Cerebrolysin did significantly better on several thinking-and-memory measures.<\/li>\n
  • Cerebrolysin has decades of clinical use in stroke units across Europe and Asia.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    CARS: stroke recovery (Stroke, 2016)<\/h2>\n

    The Cerebrolysin and Recovery After Stroke (CARS) trial was a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study. Patients received Cerebrolysin (30 mL\/day) or saline placebo once daily for 21 days alongside a standardized rehabilitation program, starting within 72 hours of stroke onset. The primary endpoint was the Action Research Arm Test score at day 90.<\/p>\n

    Cerebrolysin showed a large superiority over placebo on that arm-function test (Mann-Whitney estimator 0.71, 95% CI 0.63-0.79, P<0.0001), and a further significant superiority across a 12-scale measure of global status (P<0.0001). Premature discontinuation was under 4%, and Cerebrolysin was safe and well tolerated.<\/p>\n

    CAPTAIN I: traumatic brain injury (Neurol Sci, 2020)<\/h2>\n

    This Phase IIIb\/IV randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated Cerebrolysin as an add-on after moderate-to-severe TBI. Three individual cognitive outcomes (Stroop and Color Trails tests) showed stand-alone statistically significant superiority for Cerebrolysin, and in the per-protocol analysis the pooled multidimensional result was significant (P=0.024), with six single outcomes above the benchmark for large superiority. Safety was comparable to placebo.<\/p>\n

    What Cerebrolysin is<\/h2>\n

    Cerebrolysin is a peptide preparation derived from porcine brain tissue, studied around neurorecovery and neuroprotection. It carries a long international clinical history, which is why the trial record above exists at all. Our Cerebrolysin buying guide<\/a> covers sourcing and handling.<\/p>\n

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    Vistara Labs stocks Cerebrolysin 60 mg<\/a> research vials, shipped from within Canada to every province.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n

    What did the Cerebrolysin stroke trial find?<\/h3>\n

    The CARS randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found a large superiority of Cerebrolysin over placebo for arm-motor recovery at day 90 (Mann-Whitney estimator 0.71, P<0.0001), with safety comparable to placebo.<\/p>\n

    Has Cerebrolysin been studied in traumatic brain injury?<\/h3>\n

    Yes. The CAPTAIN I Phase IIIb\/IV trial in moderate-to-severe TBI patients found statistically significant benefits on several cognitive outcome measures, with several effect sizes above the benchmark for large superiority in the per-protocol analysis.<\/p>\n

    What is Cerebrolysin?<\/h3>\n

    Cerebrolysin is a peptide preparation derived from porcine brain tissue, studied for neurorecovery. It has a long clinical history abroad.<\/p>\n

    Sources: Muresanu DF, et al. Cerebrolysin and Recovery After Stroke (CARS). Stroke. 2016;47:151-159. PMID 26564102<\/a>. Poon W, et al. Cerebrolysin in acute brain injury and neurorecovery: CAPTAIN I. Neurol Sci. 2020;41:281-290. PMID 31494820<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n