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.

Artificial sweetener xylitol associated with higher risk of adverse cardiovascular events

A study to be presented at ESC Congress 2026 will show that high blood levels of the artificial sweetener, xylitol, were associated with increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events.

26 Aug 2026

Researchers find alarming rates of CTE in former football players

In a new study from Mass General Brigham, Boston University (BU), and the Concussion & CTE Foundation, researchers found evidence that at least 1-in-4 former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) at the time of their death, a much higher prevalence compared to the general population.

25 Aug 2026

Study reveals high prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy among former NFL players

At minimum, nearly a quarter of all former National Football League (NFL) players who died from 2016 to 2021 had confirmed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) – a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated head impacts – at death, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

25 Aug 2026

What decades of wine research can, and cannot, tell us about health

A narrative review found that moderate wine intake has repeatedly been associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, with proposed mechanisms involving ethanol and grape-derived polyphenols, but the evidence remains largely observational and cannot establish causation. The authors argue that drinking pattern, beverage type, age, cancer risk, and risk-modeling choices all influence how the J-shaped association should be interpreted and how alcohol guidelines are developed.

25 Aug 2026

The diet-Alzheimer’s connection is more complicated than “eat this, avoid that”

A mini-review finds that dietary patterns may influence Alzheimer’s disease through interconnected pathways involving neuroinflammation, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, blood-brain barrier dysfunction, homocysteine, and the gut-brain axis. The authors argue that genetics, sex, age, physical activity, and socioeconomic context may modify these relationships, supporting more individualized approaches to nutrition research and dementia prevention.

25 Aug 2026

Older brains' language processing network remains resilient to aging

As people age, many cognitive functions tend to decline. Brain scanning studies have revealed corresponding changes in the function of a brain network that is involved in many of these cognitive functions, including working memory and problem-solving.

24 Aug 2026

Semaglutide’s heart benefits may partly involve reduced inflammation

A prespecified analysis of 17,604 SELECT participants found that higher baseline hsCRP was associated with greater risks of major cardiovascular events and death in people with overweight or obesity and established cardiovascular disease. Semaglutide produced rapid and sustained reductions in hsCRP, with changes emerging before substantial weight loss, although the study could not establish whether reduced inflammation directly mediated its cardiovascular benefits.

24 Aug 2026

New 3D mapping technology reveals how hair follicles form over time

In a new research report, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have developed a technology that allows them to capture a 3D molecular "snapshot" of hundreds of hair follicles as they develop and then reconstruct the fourth dimension - time - to effectively create a stop-motion animation of how this organ forms.

21 Aug 2026

New review highlights spatial technologies in advanced brain mapping

Understanding how molecular changes shape brain function and disease requires more than measuring genes in bulk tissue.

21 Aug 2026

Only three of 1,357 FDA-cleared AI devices tested patient outcomes

Researchers found that among 1,357 FDA-cleared or approved AI/ML-enabled medical devices, only 34 were linked to registered clinical trials and just three had been evaluated for patient-centered outcomes. The study highlights major gaps in prospective testing, demographic representation, transparency, and evidence showing whether medical AI meaningfully improves patients’ health.

20 Aug 2026

Study: Nearly 8 out of 10 young adults have cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome

A new scientific study found that nearly 8 out of 10 young adult participants, average age 23 years, had cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome (CKM syndrome), according to new independent research published today in Circulation: Population Health and Outcomes, a peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Heart Association.

20 Aug 2026

New review examines why tetanus remains a global health problem

Tetanus is often considered a disease of the past, remembered mainly through childhood vaccinations and warnings about rusty nails.

20 Aug 2026

Two distinct types of brain tissue work together to support cognition in older adults

Researchers from the Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have found that two distinct types of brain tissue work together to support cognition in older adults, and that the health of the brain's short-range wiring may help soften the cognitive effects of gray matter loss.

20 Aug 2026

Paternal valproate use not linked to offspring neurodevelopmental risks

Use of the antiseizure drug valproate by fathers before conception is not associated with neurodevelopmental disorders like autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in their children, according to a new study published August 19, 2026, in Neurology®, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

19 Aug 2026

Global study reveals rising chronic kidney disease burden in women

Chronic kidney disease is now the seventh leading cause of death among noncommunicable diseases globally, affecting 11–13% of the adult population.

19 Aug 2026

International task force outlines roadmap for precision stroke recovery

An international task force co-led by a Georgetown University stroke expert has outlined a bold new roadmap for stroke recovery, positioning genetic and blood biomarkers to drive the next generation of precision neuro-rehabilitation and biotherapy.

19 Aug 2026

What 3,600 adults with diabetes revealed about lifestyle and heart health

In 3,612 British adults with type 2 diabetes, greater adherence to the Mediterranean Lifestyle Index was associated with lower risks of major adverse cardiovascular events, cardiovascular death, and all-cause mortality over more than a decade of follow-up. Dietary patterns, physical activity, rest, and social habits all contributed to the observed associations, although the observational study cannot establish causality.

19 Aug 2026

What a 38-year study suggests about red meat, white meat, and mortality

Lower intake of red and processed meat was associated with small reductions in all-cause, heart disease, cancer, and stroke mortality in a cohort of nearly one million US adults followed for decades. White-meat-only diets showed additional benefits in some subgroups, while vegetarian diets produced few consistent associations and were limited by small participant numbers and a single baseline dietary assessment.

18 Aug 2026

Deep-learning tissue clocks reveal how organs age and leave disease-linked signals in blood

Deep learning applied to more than 25,000 histopathology slides revealed tissue-specific structural signatures of biological aging that tracked telomere attrition, pathology, comorbidity, and molecular changes more closely than chronological age alone.

18 Aug 2026

Severe mental illness may accelerate dementia and stroke vulnerability

People living with severe mental illness face a substantially higher risk of dementia throughout adulthood, as well as a significantly elevated risk of stroke in early and middle adulthood, according to a large new study based on health records from Catalonia, Spain.

17 Aug 2026