Sunday, December 29, 2013

Researchers Find Early Success in New Treatment for Stroke Recovery

Earlier research on this is here July, 2012;
Nerve stimulation plus standard therapy may accelerate stroke recovery
and here Jan. 2013;
UK docs aim to `rewire` brains of stroke patients
and here - Sept. 2013;
Researchers Find Early Success in New Treatment for Stroke Recovery 
And just when the hell will the research be enough to create a stroke protocol? And who will do that if our craptastic stroke associations will not?
The latest one here:
http://yottafire.com/2013/12/researchers-find-early-success-new-treatment-stroke-recovery/ 
Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas have taken a step toward developing a new treatment to aid the recovery of limb function after strokes.
In a study published online in the journal Neurobiology of Disease, researchers report the full recovery of forelimb strength in animals receiving vagus nerve stimulation.
“Stroke is a leading cause of disability worldwide,” said Dr. Navid Khodaparast, a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and lead author of the study. “Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke. Our results mark a major step in the development of a possible treatment.”
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an FDA-approved method for treating various illnesses, such as depression and epilepsy. It involves sending a mild electric pulse through the vagus nerve, which relays information about the state of the body to the brain.
Khodaparast and his colleagues used vagus nerve stimulation precisely timed to coincide with rehabilitative movements in rats. Each of the animals had previously experienced a stroke that impaired their ability to pull a handle.
Stimulation of the vagus nerve causes the release of chemicals in the brain known to enhance learning and memory called neurotransmitters, specifically acetylcholine and norepinephrine. Pairing this stimulation with rehabilitative training allowed Khodaparast and colleagues to improve recovery.

More at link.




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