Rewiring Job: Drug spurs nerve growth in stroke-damaged brains

A drug patterned after a naturally occurring biological chemical enables rats to regain movement in extremities paralyzed by a stroke, a U.S.–Canadian team reports. The compound, called inosine, induces nerve fibers to grow and reconnect in the brain and spinal cord, say the researchers.

The findings suggest that inosine could boost recovery in many of the 600,000 people in the United States each year who have a stroke.