New data prompts reconsideration of decades-old theory about brain injury due to stroke:
Neuroscientists believed that, in the aftermath of a stroke, calming overexcited neurons might prevent them from releasing a toxic molecule that can kill neurons already damaged by lack of oxygen. This idea was supported by studies in cells and animals, but it lost favor in the early 2000s after numerous clinical trials failed to improve outcomes for stroke patients.
But a fresh approach has yielded evidence that the idea may have been discarded too hastily. The new findings are available online in the journal Brain.
By scanning the whole genomes of nearly 6,000 people who had experienced strokes, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis identified two genes associated with recovery within the pivotal first 24 hours after stroke. Events -- good or bad -- that occur in the first day set stroke patients on their courses toward long-term recovery. Both genes turned out to be involved in regulating neuronal excitability, providing evidence that overstimulated neurons influence stroke outcomes.
[...] "We started with no hypotheses about the mechanism of neuronal injury," Cruchaga said. "We started with the assumption that some genetic variants are associated with stroke recovery, but which ones they are, we did not guess. We tested every single gene and genetic region. So the fact that an unbiased analysis yielded two genes involved in excitotoxicity tells us that it must be important."
[...] "We know that that first 24-hour period has the greatest impact on outcomes," Lee said. "Beyond 24 hours, there's diminishing returns in terms of influence on long-term recovery. Right now, we don't have any neuroprotective agents for that first 24 hours. Many of the original studies with anti-excitotoxic agents were performed at a time when we weren't sure about the best trial design. We've learned a lot about stroke in the last few decades. I think it's time for a re-examination."
Journal Reference:
Ibanez, Laura, Heitsch, Laura, Carrera, Caty, et al. Multi-ancestry GWAS reveals excitotoxicity associated with outcome after ischaemic stroke, Brain (accepted manuscript)
DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac080
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 23 2022, @12:25PM
https://soylentnews.org/comments.pl?noupdate=1&sid=48726&commentsort=0&mode=threadtos&threshold=-1&highlightthresh=-1&page=1&cid=1236687#commentwrap [soylentnews.org]
Thanks for attending to this in a timely matter, SN staff! And thanks for all to do to keep this site running!
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 23 2022, @06:21PM (1 child)
More important than the first 24 hours are the previous 500 years of genetic predisposition especially the last 50 where you should've gone jogging instead of eating the family pack of Cheetos. Seriously, put the Cheetos down.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 23 2022, @10:47PM
No! I refuse.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by ElizabethGreene on Saturday April 23 2022, @11:06PM (1 child)
Are the metabolic requirements for a Neuron relatively steady, or do they increase in periods of heavy activity?
If it's the latter, then perhaps calming the overactive neurons reduces their energy requirements which couldn't otherwise be met because of the underlying injury?
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday April 25 2022, @01:52PM
Generally metabolism is increased under heavy activity, but I barely remember Biology beyond the ethanol in a 5 gallon jug making a cool wooshing sound and flame, when lit. Okay, I do vaguely remember that it was to show that the ethanol burned off while leaving the water. I also took a Clep test for Chemistry, so yeah, not much to remember there either.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 24 2022, @07:56PM
a lot of things.