BACKGROUND: Laboratory experiments conducted since the 1940s show that amphetamine combined with task-relevant experience improves postbrain injury behavioral outcomes. Several small clinical trials evaluated the approach as a means of improving poststroke recovery. RESULTS: In laboratory studies, the effect of amphetamine on recovery depends on the location and extent of brain injury, the dosing and timing of amphetamine, and the type, intensity, and timing of concomitant behavioral training. The small clinical trials conducted to date vary considerably in critical aspects of their designs and are largely negative. CONCLUSIONS: The question of whether d-amphetamine combined with physiotherapy is of any clinical value remains unanswered.