Cerebrovascular accident or more commonly known as stroke is a debilitating and life changing event for the sufferer. A new kind of medicine is now being tested and initial results are promising in promoting brain damage recovery.
In a study conducted at The University of Manchester, an experiment involving a new kind of stroke drug is in the works. Initial results proved that when applied on mice, the new drug limited the death of brain cells and promoted neuron growth. The neurons are cells which comprise the brain as reported in News-Medical.
The subject of the study is the anti-inflammatory drug interleukin-1 receptor antagonist or 1L-1Ra. This drug is already licensed to treat patients who are afflicted by rheumatoid arthritis. This new drug may be essential to brain damage recovery.
It was only recently that the possibility of using this medicine to treat stroke is being explored. It was found in the said research that this drug is not only effective at containing the initial devastating effects of a stroke but also promotes brain cell growth several days after the first injury to the brain.
In a recent study done on animals, it was reported that the brain can be repaired and function restored. University of California Los Angeles conducted study has discovered that even without intervention the brain begins repairs itself after a silent stroke that particularly affects the white matter of the brain.
These small strokes often go undetected and over time the cumulative effects of these silent strokes affects a person's memory and other cognitive functions. However, the repair process stalls and it was found that a molecular receptor is a likely culprit according to the journal published by UCLA.
In light of the discovery of a new drug that has the potential mitigating the effects of stroke and the new discovery of the brain's potential to heal itself, we may find a new kind of treatment protocol for stroke-afflicted patients.
