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.

Traumatic brain injury disrupts brain drainage and accelerates Alzheimer’s risk

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have uncovered how and why traumatic brain injury (TBI) increases the risk for Alzheimer's disease, and their work suggests a potential way to prevent that increased risk.

16 Dec 2025

New data supports link between gum disease and heart disease

There is increasing evidence that gum disease is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attack, stroke, atrial fibrillation, heart failure and cardiometabolic health conditions. Effective prevention and treatment of gum disease, also called periodontal disease, could potentially decrease the burden of cardiovascular disease, according to a new scientific statement published today in the American Heart Association's flagship journal Circulation.

16 Dec 2025

Study identifies molecular drivers of cerebral small vessel disease

A new study identifies molecular factors that promote small vessel disease - and an active drug that can restore impaired vascular functions.

16 Dec 2025

Scientists create light-controlled versions of cholesterol

High levels of cholesterol are linked to heart disease, stroke, and many other health problems. However, this complex and vital fatty, water insoluble molecule-a lipid-is found in every cell of the body and is not all bad news. It also regulates crucial processes that science has yet to map.

15 Dec 2025

How brain cells manage long distance genetic instructions

Scientists found that messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules that carry genetic instructions to the far reaches of neurons in the brain tend to cluster together mostly because they are abundant, not because they move in coordinated groups.

15 Dec 2025

Single-pill combination medications may simplify treatment for adults with high blood pressure

Taking one pill that combines two or more blood pressure medications may help adults with high blood pressure (also known as hypertension) lower their blood pressure level faster and more effectively than taking multiple medications separately, and it may also reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, according to a new scientific statement published today in the American Heart Association's journal Hypertension.

15 Dec 2025

E-cigarette use is linked to higher heart attack risk, especially in former smokers

This systematic review and meta-analysis examined whether electronic cigarette use is associated with myocardial infarction and stroke, synthesizing evidence from 12 observational studies. The analysis found higher odds of myocardial infarction among e-cigarette users, particularly former smokers, while no significant associations were observed among exclusive never-smokers.

14 Dec 2025

Lowering blood sugar reduces heart risk in prediabetes

Lowering blood sugar levels halves the likelihood of serious heart problems in people with prediabetes.

12 Dec 2025

Increased epicardial fat volume linked to greater myocardial injury after infarction

Increased volume of epicardial adipose tissue, detected by cardiovascular imaging, was found to be associated with greater myocardial injury after a myocardial infarction.

12 Dec 2025

Breast arterial calcification on mammograms predicts future heart risk

Routine mammograms are a critical tool for breast cancer screening. However, they may also hold crucial, potentially untapped information about a person's risk for cardiovascular disease, the number one cause of death among adults.

11 Dec 2025

Researchers identify enzyme linked to myelin damage and neurodegenerative conditions

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have identified a type of enzyme with a complicated name - cell migration inducing and hyaluronan-binding protein, or CEMIP - is associated with disorders ranging from multiple sclerosis to stroke to neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease.

11 Dec 2025

Cuffless blood pressure devices show great promise as alternatives to traditional arm-cuff monitors

Cuffless devices to measure blood pressure, such as smartwatches, rings, patches and fingertip monitors, show great promise as alternatives to traditional arm-cuff monitors, however, they are not yet proven accurate enough to diagnose high blood pressure or guide treatment decisions, according to a new scientific statement published today in the American Heart Association's journal Hypertension.

11 Dec 2025

People with epilepsy and learning disabilities face preventable early deaths

A combination of missed prevention opportunities and health inequalities can result in the early deaths of people living with epilepsy and intellectual disabilities, a study has shown.

10 Dec 2025

Glucose-lowering drugs may reduce risk of developing epilepsy

A preliminary study of people with diabetes suggests that use of glucose-lowering GLP-1 drugs may be linked to a lower risk of developing epilepsy. The study was published on December 10, 2025, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

10 Dec 2025

New AAN guideline offers treatment strategies for functional seizures

To help neurologists, mental health clinicians and other clinicians determine the best ways to help people manage functional seizures, the American Academy of Neurology has issued a new guideline, published on December 10, 2025, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

10 Dec 2025

Collaborative project seeks safer therapies for ischemia and reperfusion injury

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and Trinity University will improve a prodrug, a compound activated in the body, to mitigate tissue and organ damage associated with heart attacks, strokes and traumatic injuries.

10 Dec 2025

Uterine fibroids linked to higher long-term heart disease risk in women

Long-term heart disease risk in women diagnosed with uterine fibroids was more than 80% higher than in women without fibroids, according to new independent research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

10 Dec 2025

Machine learning models can help diagnose ALS earlier from a blood sample

Using machine learning models, researchers at Michigan Medicine have identified a potential way to diagnose amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, earlier from a blood sample, a study suggests.

10 Dec 2025

Researchers discover new biomarker of "complicated" mild- to severe-pediatric traumatic brain injury

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh discovered a promising new biomarker of "complicated" mild- to severe-pediatric traumatic brain injury, or TBI.

9 Dec 2025

Doctors warn about cardiovascular dangers from excessive energy drink use

Downing several strong energy drinks every day may pose a serious stroke risk, doctors have warned in the journal BMJ Case Reports, after treating an otherwise fit and healthy man in his 50s with a daily 8-can habit and exceedingly high blood pressure.

9 Dec 2025