Pharmacological modulation of plasticity in the human motor cortex.

Ischemic cerebral stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability among adults in industrialized countries. One fundamental but still not sufficiently solved question is how to improve disability after stroke. Here, evidence will be reviewed on how pharmacological treatment modulates plasticity and learning in the intact human motor cortex. It will be argued that these data may be useful for advancing the concepts of pharmacotherapy for recovery after stroke.