Deans' stroke musings: Slowing brain functions linked to increased risk of stroke, death

Changing stroke rehab and research worldwide now.Time is Brain! trillions and trillions of neurons that DIE each day because there are NO effective hyperacute therapies besides tPA(only 12% effective). I have 523 posts on hyperacute therapy, enough for researchers to spend decades proving them out. These are my personal ideas and blog on stroke rehabilitation and stroke research. Do not attempt any of these without checking with your medical provider. Unless you join me in agitating, when you need these therapies they won't be there.

What this blog is for:

My blog is not to help survivors recover, it is to have the 10 million yearly stroke survivors light fires underneath their doctors, stroke hospitals and stroke researchers to get stroke solved. 100% recovery. The stroke medical world is completely failing at that goal, they don't even have it as a goal. Shortly after getting out of the hospital and getting NO information on the process or protocols of stroke rehabilitation and recovery I started searching on the internet and found that no other survivor received useful information. This is an attempt to cover all stroke rehabilitation information that should be readily available to survivors so they can talk with informed knowledge to their medical staff. It lays out what needs to be done to get stroke survivors closer to 100% recovery. It's quite disgusting that this information is not available from every stroke association and doctors group.

Friday, August 8, 2014

Slowing brain functions linked to increased risk of stroke, death

We are really in a wonderful catch-22. Our stroke slowed down our brain functions leading to an increased risk of a stroke or death. What exactly is your doctor providing as a stroke protocol to increase your cognitive abilities?
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=144243&CultureCode=en
Cognitive abilities such as memory and attention are not only important after a stroke but also before; according to Declining memory and cognitive ability may increase the risk of stroke in adults over age 65. After stroke, cognitive function declined almost twice as fast. Stroke and cognitive decline increased the risk of death in older adults.
research published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke.
Previous studies have shown poor cardiovascular health can increase the risk of cognitive impairment such as problems in memory and learning. However, the opposite idea that cognitive impairment may impact cardiovascular health, specifically stroke, was not established before.
“Most clinical studies observe cognitive impairment after a stroke event, said Kumar Rajan, Ph.D., lead author of the study and assistant professor of internal medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. “Only a handful of large population-based studies measured long-term cognitive functioning before stroke and deaths from all different causes.”
Researchers analyzed data on cognitive function in 7,217 adults (61 percent African-American and 59 percent women) over the age of 65. They gave them four tests every three years that evaluated participants’ cognitive abilities such as short- and long-term memory, attention, awareness and other mental functions before and after a stroke.
Researchers found:

Those with lower cognitive test scores before a stroke had a 61 percent higher chance of a stroke.

After stroke, cognitive function declined almost twice as fast compared to those before stroke.
Stroke coupled with cognitive decline increased the risk of death.
Declining cognitive function before stroke increased the risk of stroke five-fold in African-Americans compared to European-Americans.

“Stroke in old age can be caused by poor cognitive function; whereas, faster decline in cognitive function can be caused by stroke,” Rajan said. “Low cognitive function is generally associated with poor neurological health and brain function. Worsening of neurological health can lead to several health problems with stroke being one of them.”
Examining mental health may help prevent future strokes in older adults, Rajan said.
“From a care standpoint, cognitive decline is not only a strong marker for neurological deterioration and physical health in older adults, but also serves as a marker for stroke in old age,” he said.
Researchers also found a strong link between low cognitive function and death. Participants with previous strokes had lower baseline cognitive scores on all four tests and 78 percent died during follow-ups.
“Being healthy and active through both physical and cognitive activities may help slow down cognitive decline,” Rajan said.
In the United States, stroke is a leading cause of disability and the No. 4 cause of death. A stroke occurs when blood supply is cut off from parts of the brain. The brain’s temporary blood loss can lead to serious physical and mental disabilities.
Co-authors are Neelum T. Aggarwal, M.D.; Robert S. Wilson, Ph.D.; Susan A. Everson-Rose, Ph.D., M.P.H.; and Denis A. Evans, M.D.
The National Institutes on Aging, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and University of Minnesota funded the study.
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