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The body is funding a nationwide preclinical trial platform designed to test novel treatments for acute ischemic stroke in rodents. Seven labs will work together, as part of the Stroke Preclinical Assessment Network (SPAN), to employ clinical research practices while assessing the effectiveness of six potential neuroprotective therapies in reducing ischemic brain injury. The network will be funded with US$4m over the next three years. “Our primary goal is to identify the most promising treatments for testing in patients with clinical trials,” said Walter J. Koroshetz, director of NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke which supports SPAN.

Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a magnetically steerable, thread-like robot that can actively glide through narrow, winding pathways, such as those found in the brain. In the future, this robotic thread may enable doctors to remotely guide the robot through a patient’s brain vessels to quickly treat blockages and lesions; according to an MIT press release. Xuanhe Zhao, associate professor of mechanical engineering and of civil and environmental engineering at MIT, says: “If acute stroke can be treated within the first 90 minutes or so, patients’ survival rates could increase significantly.

The team paired up with a specialist music therapy company, Chroma, to offer this expressive art therapy. It is one of many collaborative techniques the team use to support and encourage people recovering from brain injuries to improve their quality of life and regain their independence. Two of the residents,Louise*and Joe*, have worked with music therapist, Rachel Swanick from Chroma once a week for 11 weeks.

Siponimod, a tablet taken once daily to treat secondary progressive MS (SPMS), is currently under investigation by NICE to assess whether it should be available via an NHS prescription in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland will carry out separate appraisals. National charity the MS Trust plans to make a compelling case to NICE in favour of the drug being available on the NHS – and needs input from people with MS and those who work with MS patients.

A study has found that long-term exposure to the combination of both lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) is linked to a reduced lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease. The relationship is dose-dependent, meaning that any combination of lower LDL-C and lower SBP was associated with a corresponding reduction in lifetime risk. Even small declines in LDL-C and SBP can substantially diminish the likelihood of ever having a heart attack or stroke, the study shows.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has awarded nearly US$5m to Dr. Evan Y. Snyder, a professor at the Sanford Burnham Prebys research facility in San Diego. The funding will allow Snyder to complete pre-investigational new drug-enabling studies, a step toward securing US FDA approval of a human trial for neural stem cells as a potential treatment for newborns who experience oxygen and blood-flow deprivation during birth. The resultant perinatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HII) can cause cerebral palsy and other permanent neurological disorders.

Researchers at Nazarbayev University and the National Laboratory Astana, based in the capital city of Nur-Sultan, are studying how radiofrequency electromagnetic fields could be used in Alzheimer’s disease therapy. Their focus in on a frequency of 918 MHz because it is commonly used in mobile phones. Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of age-related dementia, is usually characterised by loss of memory and dramatic changes in character and behaviour, eventually leading to an inability to carry out normal daily life activities.

Research from UT Southwestern Medical Center shows patients with Type 2 diabetes who have an acute ischemic stroke have equally favourable results when their blood sugar levels are controlled with intermittent insulin shots compared with continuous insulin treatment using an IV. The study is the first evidence-based validation of glucose-control guidelines for blood sugar management in patients with hyperglycaemia after stroke, researchers say. Dr Christiana Hall, associate professor of neurology and neurotherapeutics at UT Southwestern’s Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, says: “The study upholds the most common standard of care practice utilised over the years. It’s what our guidelines recommend, even though we never had strong data to support them.

The New South Wales (NSW) State Brain Clot Bank, in Sydney, is aiming to collect over 1400 specimens from donors at the hi-tech facility over the next four years. Researchers will focus on cryptogenic stroke – those caused by a blood clot of unknown origin. These make up between 30 and 40 per cent of all patients whose stroke was caused by a blood clot and can be difficult to treat since the cause is not known.

An Iranian study has examined links between nut consumption and the risk of death by cardiovascular disease - including stroke and heart attack. A total of 5,432 adults aged 35 and older with no history of cardiovascular disease were randomly selected from urban and rural areas of the Isfahan, Arak and Najafabad counties. Intake of nuts including walnuts, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, and seeds was assessed in 2001 with a validated food frequency questionnaire. Participants or family members were interviewed every two years until 2013 for the occurrence of cardiovascular events and death.