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New research from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging showsthat modifying the scar tissue that develops following a stroke is a promising avenue for future treatments. The need fortherapeutics for chronic stroke is compelling. There are 750,000new strokes per year in the U.S., a leading cause of morbidity andmortality. Aside from physical and occupational therapy, treatmentsfor the six million patients in the U.S. who suffer from chronicstroke are lacking; the vast majority of patients remain in anongoing state of disability with little hope of return to normalfunction. The research, published in the online edition of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, builds on ongoing spinal cord repair studies. Working in rats,scientists in the Greenberg laboratory infused the stroke cavitywith either the enzyme chondroitinase ABC (ChABC) or the proteinheparan sulfate proteoglycan glypican (glypican). In both cases thetreatments improved outcome in the animals - they had less weaknessand improved coordination. Lead scientist, Justin Hill, MD, says both treatments reduced thesize of the scar tissue that had formed following the stroke andessentially "woke up" neurons in the areas surrounding the injury,stimulating the growth of new neurites, which are the terminalextensions of nerves. "We think the scar tissue not only blocks offareas of the brain that are injured during stroke, we also believethe scar tissue secretes factors that impact the function of nearbyneurons," said Hill. "Dissolving the scar may spur neurons tore-route connections around the area injured during the stroke."Researchers found that treatment with glypican increased theexpression of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) near the site ofinjury and that ChABC increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF) expression, both of which have been shown to increase neuronsize and survival. "There are only a handful of laboratories that are focused ontreatments for chronic stroke," said Buck faculty David Greenberg,MD, PhD. "Dr. Hill's research is groundbreaking in that it is thefirst to apply this research on spinal cord injury to stroke anduncovers some of the underlying mechanisms involved in improvedfunction." Future research is aimed at discovering possible drug candidates tohelp patients suffering from chronic stroke. Additional References Citations. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Silicone Finger Ring , Cell Phone Silicone Cases Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Silicone Wristband Watch today!
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