Viagra makes the brain grow

Viagra, a potency pill, may become a major advance in the treatment of insults. US scientists from the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit administered Viagra to rats struck with a brain hemorrage, which revealed that the medicine improves rehabilitation of the brain's functions.

The scientists, operating under the guidance of Professor Michael Chopp, have determined that Viagra and other medicines of the group speed up the recovery of the brain's cells.

During the experiment, rats were given Viagra pills for six days, and the results were compared with the controlled group in a month. More new brain cells were formed in the rats treated with Viagra. In addition, those rats better performed movement, dexterity, and perception tasks.

The scientists plan to investigate the secondary effects of the medicine and calculate its therapeutic dose at the next stage of the experiment with the animals. Only after that, the new remedy for insult treatment can be applied to human volunteers.

The results of the investigation have been presented at the 27th International Conference for Hemorrage Problems, which opened in San Antonio, Texas.

Translated by Maria Gousseva