Abstract: Objective To observe the effect of fluoxetine on the depression neurologic impairment and activity of daily living after cerebral infarction.Methods 80 patients with acute cerebral infarction following depression were randomly divided into treatment group and control group, 40 cases in each group. Two groups were assessed with Modified Edinburgh-Scandinavia Stroke Scale(MESSS), Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD) and Modified Barthel Index(MBI) before and after treatment.Results There were no significant difference between the two groups before treatment in HAMD, MESSS and MBI（P＞0.05）, while there were significantly different between the two groups in HAMD, MESSS and MBI 6 weeks after treatment（P＜0.01）. Conclusion Fluoxetine can alleviate depression of patients with acute cerebral infarction and improve the symptom of neurological function and the activity of daily living.

Key words: fluoxetine, cerebral infarction, depression, activity of daily living