Medical expert of the article
New publications
A way has been found to protect the brain from negative effects after a stroke
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
A stroke is a rupture of blood vessels in the brain. This disease is quite serious and often leads to death. After a stroke, a person may experience various mental disorders, as well as paralysis or coma. In case of a stroke, it is extremely important to provide a person with timely medical care in order to minimize the negative consequences.
Specialists from the United States have managed to find a way to reduce the level of damage to which the brain tissue is exposed during a stroke. In one of the health care organizations, specialists have developed a new method that will enable doctors to combat the severe consequences of the disease. The search for the method lasted for quite a long period, since the human body is capable of independently producing special substances necessary for recovery.
Scientists have determined that the AcSDKP peptide can reduce brain damage that can occur after an ischemic stroke, also known as a cerebral infarction. In this pathology, a blood vessel is blocked by a thrombus, which leads to oxygen starvation of the brain. Typically, the tPA protein is used to combat blood clots, but this treatment method should only be used in the very first hours after a stroke, otherwise the effectiveness of the treatment will be significantly reduced. In addition, the protein can lead to bleeding in the brain.
A study of this method on rodents has shown that the AcSDKP peptide used in the treatment of heart disease can enhance the therapeutic effect of the tPA protein, and also increases the time during which the patient can be effectively treated and brain damage can be prevented. In addition, the AcSDKP peptide, if used in the first hour after a stroke, can work independently. As it turned out, the peptide easily overcomes the blood-brain barrier, which prevents the penetration of other neuroprotective drugs. All these studies give great hope, since this type of treatment did not lead to bleeding or the formation of new blood clots. According to scientists, the new treatment method can soon be tested in clinical conditions.
Stroke is currently the second most common fatal disease. According to WHO statistics, more than six million people die from stroke every year in the world. Most often, death occurs as a result of untimely medical care, when people around you fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke and call an ambulance. The main signs of the disease are the inability to move an arm or leg (especially on one side), numbness, decreased skin sensitivity, a person cannot gesticulate, severe headaches suddenly appear, nausea, vision deteriorates, general coordination of movements is impaired, a person is unable to perceive the speech of others, there are also problems with pronunciation, self-control is completely or partially absent.
[