Gathering the record
Relay is organizing the evidence and source boundaries.
Porcine-brain-derived peptide and amino-acid mixture
An injectable mixture made from pig brain tissue, researched for stroke recovery and other brain conditions.
Evidence is explained by question. Dosing references show their own check dates.
60-second overview
Why people look into it, what studies found, and what is still unknown.
Educational information only. Evidence reviewed through July 31, 2026. Published studies, sponsor announcements, and trials without results are labeled separately. Evidence gaps apply to the specific finding beside them.
Research questions
Each label shows how much evidence supports that question.
What studies show
Multiple randomized controlled trials exist, including the large 1,070-participant CASTA acute-stroke study; however, the overall efficacy record is mixed and indication-specific.
Its identity and biological activity belong to a standardized mixture, so claims about one active molecule or receptor are misleading.
A post hoc severe-stroke subgroup signal should not replace the neutral overall result.
These findings justify continued research but do not resolve the inconsistency across the broader evidence base.
Older trials reported symptom-scale signals; they do not show durable modification of underlying neurodegeneration.
Research in stroke, TBI, or dementia cannot be converted into claims for focus, memory enhancement, or general brain optimization.
FDA records explicitly separate substance identity and orphan history from approval.
Mixture composition, concentration, sterility, infusion conditions, and clinical monitoring are formulation-specific.
Risks & unknowns
Relay has not verified a clear pattern of side effects for this compound.
Evidence boundaryHuman exposure is present, but the record is not detailed enough to characterize a reliable adverse-event pattern.
The available information does not reliably show how often particular side effects occur.
Evidence boundaryUnder-detected or under-reported events must not be described as rare.
Relay has not verified which side effects led people to stop treatment in studies.
Evidence boundaryThis is an evidence gap, not proof that discontinuations did not occur.
Relay has not verified a compound-specific warning summary for this profile.
Evidence boundaryNot FDA approved; marketed for neurological indications in some countries Which patient groups, if any, obtain reproducible clinically meaningful benefit, and how lot composition, co-interventions, timing, and country-specific formulations affect outcomes and safety.
This profile does not contain verified, product-specific emergency instructions.
Evidence boundaryRelay does not infer emergency guidance from study discontinuations, mechanism, or incomplete adverse-event reporting.
Dosing references
Each table labels its source and applies only to the named route, product, or study. An online example or community report is not an approved dose.
Amounts reported in a human study. A studied amount is not automatically an approved dose or a recommendation for an individual.
The CASTA trial enrolled 1,070 adults with acute ischemic stroke; treatment began within 12 hours of symptoms.
| Stage / period | Amount in source | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 10 days | 30 mL of the studied product | Daily |
The primary confirmatory outcome was neutral. This product volume is not a milligram dose for another mixture or a general cognition protocol. Follow-up continued to day 90.
Cerebrolysin · CASTA randomized stroke trial Primary article · Methods / interventionThis reference checked Oct 20, 2026. The full-profile review date is shown at the top.This source does not establish a mixing volume or storage period for independently sourced powder. Use formulation-specific instructions; the study amount alone is not a reconstitution recipe.
Concentration = total mass ÷ final volume. The calculator performs user-entered math; it does not choose a dose or diluent.
Open concentration calculatorStarting dose: the amount used at the beginning of the named label schedule or trial.
Maintenance: the ongoing amount described by that product label.
Trial target: the amount assigned to a study group. Different groups may stop increasing at different targets.
A large multicenter trial investigated Cerebrolysin as an addition to standard care in adults with acute ischemic stroke, comparing it with placebo under blinded conditions.
Population: Adults with acute ischemic stroke in Asia
Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial
Mechanisms
Cerebrolysin is a hydrolysate-derived biological mixture rather than one molecular entity. Human trials span acute ischemic stroke, post-stroke rehabilitation, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer disease, and vascular dementia. The large CASTA acute-stroke trial did not show a significant overall benefit on its primary outcome, while smaller rehabilitation and TBI studies reported signals on selected functional or global outcomes. Heterogeneous designs, modest samples, regional practice differences, mixture identity, and limited independent replication constrain transferability. FDA substance indexing and an orphan designation record document identity and regulatory history but do not constitute U.S. marketing approval.
A plausible mechanism can explain why a study was attempted. It does not prove that the compound improves a human outcome.
Research reference
A reference for the studies, populations, and routes behind this profile.
Randomized trials span stroke, traumatic brain injury, and dementia, including a large acute-stroke trial.
Research depth describes how large and mature the overall record is. It does not tell you whether the results were positive.
The large CASTA trial was neutral overall while smaller studies reported selected benefits.
Confidence describes how reliable and consistent the conclusions are. It can be high for one outcome and low for another.
The strongest evidence type shows what the best-supported conclusions are actually based on.
Human findings are more directly relevant than animal or laboratory results, but they still apply only to the populations and outcomes studied.
Route-specific record
These are exposures used in cited research for a specific route and population—not an instruction for an individual.
Half-life describes how long it takes the measured amount in the body to fall by half. It is not a dosing recommendation.
Evidence can change by administration method. Findings from one route should not automatically be applied to another.
Evidence boundary: The primary overall efficacy comparison was neutral; a more severe subgroup produced only a hypothesis-forming signal. The stroke result cannot establish benefit in dementia, traumatic brain injury, healthy cognition, or other formulations. Amounts shown describe cited research exposure—not a dosage recommendation.
Studies
Study arms are reported for transparency. They describe what researchers did in a defined record and do not transfer across identities, routes, formulations, or populations.
A later trial phase can ask a more mature question, but it does not guarantee a positive result, regulatory approval, or relevance outside the studied population.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled neurorecovery trial
Adults with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury
CAPTAIN II reported a favorable multidimensional outcome signal and similar overall safety between groups.
Study administration: Cerebrolysin or placebo added to standard care
Limitations: The composite analysis, modest sample, and regional care settings limit certainty about effect size and generalizability.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial
Adults beginning rehabilitation after ischemic stroke
CARS reported better motor-function and global outcomes in the Cerebrolysin group during early rehabilitation.
Study administration: Cerebrolysin or placebo alongside standardized rehabilitation
Limitations: The trial was smaller than CASTA, focused on a selected rehabilitation population, and does not establish broad acute-stroke efficacy.
Randomized controlled clinical study
Adults with mild traumatic brain injury
The study reported improved cognitive recovery at three months, especially on long-term-memory measures.
Study administration: Cerebrolysin plus usual care versus comparison care
Limitations: The sample was small and the finding needs larger independent replication with modern TBI outcome standards.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial
Adults with acute ischemic stroke in Asia
CASTA did not show a significant overall benefit on the primary global outcome. A more severely affected subgroup generated a hypothesis-forming signal.
Study administration: Cerebrolysin or placebo added to standard stroke care
Limitations: The overall neutral result is primary. Subgroup findings were not the main prespecified efficacy conclusion and require independent confirmation.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
Adults with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer disease
The trial reported selected cognitive and global benefits, with adverse events occurring in both groups.
Study administration: Intravenous Cerebrolysin or placebo
Limitations: Older trial methods, repeated-course designs, and inconsistent findings across dementia studies prevent a simple efficacy conclusion.
Community
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2026-07-31
2020-01-01 · PMID 31897941
2016-04-05
2016-01-01 · PMID 26564102
2013-01-01 · PMID 23656173
2012-01-01 · PMID 22282884
2009-03-26 · NCT00868283
2002-01-01 · PMID 12111446