How the blood-brain barrier is maintained

Alexandre Prat
Alexandre Prat

A study on a protein that helps maintain the blood-brain barrier and ameliorated the effects of a multiple sclerosis-like disease in an animal model.

The brain is a privileged organ in the body. So vital to life, the brain is protected from alterations elsewhere in the body by a highly regulated gateway known as the blood-brain barrier, which allows only selected molecules to pass through.

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Researchers halt brain swelling at the source

Brian MacVicar
Brian MacVicar
A team of researchers has made a significant discovery in the mechanism of brain swelling, paving the way to preventative treatment for severe to fatal brain damage following stroke, head injury or cardiac arrest. Their research, published today in Cell, paves the way for a preventative drug treatment for severe brain damage following stroke, infection, head injury or cardiac arrest. Continue reading

Cancer drug shows promise for treating stroke

Craig Brown
Craig Brown
A drug used to treat cancer may be a useful tool for improving recovery from a stroke in certain patient populations, a University of Victoria researcher has found.

“A big challenge in treating stroke is understanding how other health conditions affect recovery,” says Craig Brown, a neuroscientist in UVic’s Division of Medical Sciences “Many diseases increase the chances of having a stroke, and they also limit recovery. Diabetes is one of these diseases, affecting millions in Canada. Much like a five-card poker hand, the unique collection of health concerns a patient holds in their hand likely dictates how they should be treated.” Continue reading

Smoking thins vital part of brain

Dr. Sherif Karama
Dr. Sherif Karama

Years ago, children were warned that smoking could stunt their growth, but now a major study by an international team including the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University and the University of Edinburgh shows new evidence that long-term smoking could cause thinning of the brain’s cortex. Continue reading

Revolutionary new probe zooms in on cancer cells

Kevin Petrecca
Kevin Petrecca

Brain cancer patients may live longer thanks to a new cancer-detection method developed by researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital – The Neuro, at McGill University and the MUHC, and Polytechnique Montréal. The collaborative team has created a powerful new intraoperative probe for detecting cancer cells. Continue reading

HBI researchers find new therapy dramatically benefits stroke patients

Michael Hill
Dr. Michael Hill

Canadian researchers have completed an international randomized controlled trial showing that a clot retrieval procedure, known as endovascular treatment (ET), can dramatically improve patient outcomes after an acute ischemic stroke. The study, led by researchers at the University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI), shows a dramatic improvement in outcomes and a reduction in deaths from stroke. The results of this study were published in the Feb. 11 online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

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