Stroke
Warning signs like high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol or glucose levels precede almost all heart attack and stroke cases, according to a study challenging the belief that these strike without warning. Above-optimal levels of blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose or smoking almost always precede these cardiac events, say researchers from Yonsei University College in South Korea, [...]
DMT, a psychoactive compound found in plants and the human brain, shows protective effects against stroke damage in new research using animal and cell models. The compound reduced infarct size, brain swelling and inflammation while repairing blood-brain barrier function, according to the study. Researchers found that dimethyltryptamine (DMT) worked through Sigma-1 receptors to limit microglial [...]
Scotland will roll out ECG patch monitors to 8,000 stroke patients each year after £1.9m in government funding. The investment will expand access to ambulatory electrocardiogram (ECG) patch monitors for patients recovering from stroke, ministers confirmed. Government research suggests the monitors could prevent 689 secondary strokes and save 319 lives over five years. [...]
Turkish doctors are using interventional neuroradiology to treat strokes, aneurysms and spinal disorders without surgery, helping patients recover faster. The minimally invasive methods use needles and catheters instead of surgical incisions, avoiding general anaesthesia and long hospital stays while treating conditions including herniated discs, spinal fractures, spinal tumours and brain aneurysms. Interventional neuroradiology – which [...]
Scientists have found that fibroblasts – healing cells usually active elsewhere in the body – also help repair brain injuries and could form the basis of new treatments. The cells move from protective membranes around the brain into damaged tissue, where they form scars and help manage immune responses during different stages of recovery. The [...]
The transformational power of music at Adderley Green At Adderley Green Neurological Centre, part of the Elysium Neurological division, the sound of recovery isn’t just metaphorical, it’s literal. Since 2017, Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) has been helping patients reclaim their voices, regain movement, and reconnect with their identity after life-changing neurological injuries. Delivered by Chiltern [...]
Former footballer Chris Kamara told an awards audience he is "through to the other side" of his brain injury, speaking at the National Diversity Awards. The 67-year-old broadcaster, diagnosed with speech apraxia in 2022, said the "kindness of people" had helped him in his recovery. Speech apraxia is a motor speech disorder that affects the [...]
Stem cell injections turned into immature brain cells and improved movement in mice with stroke damage, suggesting the therapy could one day repair lasting brain injury. The transplanted cells survived for five weeks, developing into neurons – the brain’s communication cells – and forming links with existing brain tissue. They also reduced inflammation and strengthened [...]
University of East Anglia researchers are launching a trial to see if the commonly prescribed antidepressant Sertraline could reduce emotional changes caused by having a stroke. When a stroke happens, it can damage areas of the brain that regulate emotional expression - causing sudden uncontrollable episodes of laughing or crying. This condition is known as [...]
Women who undergo hysterectomy face up to an 18 per cent higher risk of stroke, especially if both ovaries are removed, according to new research. A meta-analysis of data from more than 2 million people found that removing the uterus and cervix alone raises risk by 5 per cent, while combining this with removal of [...]
