Stroke News and Research

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A stroke is a medical emergency. Strokes happen when blood flow to your brain stops. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die. There are two kinds of stroke. The more common kind, called ischemic stroke, is caused by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel in the brain. The other kind, called hemorrhagic stroke, is caused by a blood vessel that breaks and bleeds into the brain. "Mini-strokes" or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), occur when the blood supply to the brain is briefly interrupted.

Bariatric surgery offers greater long-term health protection for seniors than GLP-1 drugs

Metabolic and bariatric surgery offers significantly greater long-term protection against heart attack, stroke and death than widely-used GLP-1 drugs in older adults with obesity and diabetes, according to new real-world analysis study presented today at the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

6 May 2026

App launched to track heart health after high-risk pregnancies

The MumCare app addresses postpartum cardiovascular risk, supporting women in managing health after pregnancy complications through personalized digital tools.

6 May 2026

Popular GLP-1 drugs significantly reduce major cardiovascular events,

Researchers evaluate the long-term cardiovascular safety and efficacy of GLP-1RAs in high-risk populations.

6 May 2026

Genetic background shapes outcomes in chromosome 16 deletion disorders

Individuals that share the same deletion of a portion of chromosome 16 are at risk of developing neurodevelopmental disorders, but some experience severe intellectual disability or developmental delay, while others may only exhibit milder psychiatric features like depression or anxiety.

5 May 2026

Both low and high heart rates linked to stroke risk

A new study presented today at the European Stroke Organisation Conference (ESOC) 2026 suggests that both very low and very high resting heart rates are linked with an increased risk of stroke.

5 May 2026

Stroke incidence rises again with widening ethnic health inequalities

A new study presented today at the European Stroke Organisation Conference (ESOC) 2026 shows that after decades of decline, stroke incidence is rising again, driven by higher rates in some ethnic minority populations and concentrated among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups.

5 May 2026

Bariatric surgery improves outcomes for patients with obesity and chronic kidney disease

Metabolic and bariatric surgery, also known as weight-loss surgery, dramatically improves outcomes for patients with obesity and chronic kidney disease (CKD), significantly reducing the risk of kidney failure, major cardiovascular events and death, according to new research presented here today at the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

5 May 2026

Mapping brain circuits helps identify the causes of psychiatric symptoms

If a small stroke in one corner of the brain can tip a previously healthy person into mania or set off obsessions and compulsions where none existed before, then the circuit connected to that lesion is telling us something rare in psychiatry.

5 May 2026

Study links microplastics in arterial plaque to fourfold increase in stroke risk

In a Perspective published today in the inaugural issue of Brain Health (https://doi.org/10.61373/bh026p.0006), an international team of investigators argues that the human microplastic burden has crossed the threshold from environmental concern to brain health emergency. The article appears alongside the launch of Brain Health, a new peer-reviewed journal from Genomic Press dedicated to the science of lifelong brain resilience.

5 May 2026

NIH awards $3.9 million grant to develop a non-opioid pain treatment

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded a $3.9 million grant to a multi-institutional team led by scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute to develop a non-opioid pain therapeutic and advance it into a Phase 1 clinical trial.

4 May 2026

Nonprofit hospitals spend billions on consultants with little measurable benefit

In recent decades, management consulting firms have become a fixture in the American healthcare system, wielding outsized influence compared to most other economic sectors.

4 May 2026

Learn B.E. F.A.S.T. to recognize stroke signs and save lives

A stroke can change a life in an instant. In the minutes after symptoms begin, quick action can help protect the brain, reduce long-term disability and save a life, according to the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association.

4 May 2026

Finding new ways to mimic ketamine’s antidepressant effects

Weill Cornell Medicine investigators have "reverse engineered" ketamine's antidepressant effects to identify potential new strategies for treating depression.

4 May 2026

Active brown fat may protect heart health in obese individuals

People with obesity face a significantly increased risk of atherosclerosis, and consequently heart attack and stroke.

4 May 2026

Child health experts launch GenHEART to tackle Australia's obesity crisis

Heart health, diet, exercise and sleep will be targeted under a multi-pronged strategy by child health experts to address Australia's obesity crisis.

4 May 2026

GLP-1 drugs reduce risk of major adverse cardiovascular events

New research has shown that GLP‑1 weight-loss drugs deliver protection against heart attacks, strokes and premature death over a sustained period of time.

30 Apr 2026

Meth use accounts for nearly 1 in 6 heart attacks, California study shows

Methamphetamine (meth) use accounted for nearly 15% of heart attacks for a decade in a northern California study, published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

30 Apr 2026

American Heart Association warns of growing health care cost crisis

With health care costs constituting a major source of concern across the U.S., the American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone, everywhere, today released a Presidential Advisory warning that health care affordability in this country has reached crisis levels and outlining key principles to address the problem.

30 Apr 2026

Climate change increases stroke risk through extreme weather and pollution

The World Stroke Organization is warning that climate change poses an escalating threat to brain health, with extreme heat in particular increasing the risk of having a stroke and of patients dying from stroke.

30 Apr 2026

Glucose acts as a metabolic signal for myelin development

Researchers at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have uncovered a surprising link between low brain sugar levels and the development of myelin - the protective coating that allows nerve cells to communicate rapidly and efficiently.

30 Apr 2026