Objective To observe the effects of gastrodin combined with multisensory stimulation on the neurological function and serum levels of CXC chemokine ligand 16 (CXCL16) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment.

Methods A total of 130 patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment admitted from June 2019 to June 2022 were selected as study subjects and divided into monotherapy group and combination therapy group, with 65 patients in each group. The monotherapy group received gastrodin treatment, while the combination therapy group received both gastrodin and multisensory stimulation therapy. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was used to evaluate neurological function, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) scores were used to assess cognitive function, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect serum levels of CXCL16 and VEGF. The total effective rate of treatment and the occurrence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups.

Results After treatment, both the monotherapy and combination therapy groups showed lower NIHSS scores than before treatment, with the combination therapy group showing lower NIHSS scores than the monotherapy group (P < 0.05). After treatment, both groups had higher MMSE and MOCA scores than before treatment, with the combination therapy group revealing higher scores than the monotherapy group (P < 0.05). Additionally, serum CXCL16 levels were lower and VEGF levels were higher in both groups after treatment compared to treatment before, with the combination therapy group showing lower CXCL16 levels and higher VEGF levels than the monotherapy group (P < 0.05). The total effective rate of treatment was higher in the combination therapy group than in the monotherapy group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion Gastrodin combined with multisensory stimulation can reduce serum CXCL16 levels and increase serum VEGF levels in patients, thereby improving neurological function in patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment.