In a rat study, giving the peptide DSIP through the nose before and for a week after a stroke helped the animals get their motor skills back faster, even though the size of the brain damage wasn't clearly smaller.

<i>Background and Objectives</i>: Mutual effect of the preliminary and therapeutic intranasal treatment of SD rats with DSIP (8 days) on the outcome of focal stroke, induced with intraluminal middle cerebral occlusion (MCAO), was investigated. <i>Materials and Methods</i>: The groups were the following: MCAO + vehicle, MCAO + DSIP, and SHAM-operated. DSIP or vehicle was applied nasally 60 (&#xb1;15) minutes prior to the occlusion and for 7 days after reperfusion at dose 120 &#xb5;g/kg. The battery of behavioral tests was performed on 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days after MCAO. Motor coordination and balance and bilateral asymmetry were tested. At the end of the study, animals were euthanized, and their brains were perfused, serial cryoslices were made, and infarction volume in them was calculated. <i>Results</i>: Although brain infarction in DSIP-treated animals was smaller than in vehicle-treated animals, the difference was not significant. However, motor performance in the rotarod test significantly recovered in DSIP-treated animals. <i>Conclusions</i>: Intranasal administration of DSIP in the course of 8 days leads to accelerated recovery of motor functions.