Fluoxetine's effects on cognitive performance in patients with traumatic brain injury.

Objective: There are preclinical data showing that fluoxetine stimulated expression of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and its specific tyrosine kinase receptor, and caused neuritic elongation and increased dendritic branching density of CA3 hippocampal pyramidal cell neurons in rodents. The latter effect of fluoxetine has been referred to as neuronal remodeling. In view of this preclinical data, we wondered if specific cognitive measures could serve as novel therapeutic targets for fluoxetine in head-injured patients.