Stroke News

February 26, 2026

Top Headlines

Alzheimer’s May Begin with a Silent Drop in Brain Blood Flow

Feb. 24, 2026 Subtle changes in brain blood flow and oxygen use are closely linked to hallmark signs of Alzheimer’s, including amyloid plaques and memory-related brain shrinkage. Simple, noninvasive scans may one day help spot risk earlier—by looking at the ...

Scientists Discover Protein That Rejuvenates Aging Brain Cells

Feb. 12, 2026 A newly identified protein may hold the key to rejuvenating aging brain cells. Researchers found that boosting DMTF1 can restore the ability of neural stem cells to regenerate, even when age-related damage has set in. Without it, these cells ...

MRI Scans Show Exercise Can Make the Brain Look Younger

Jan. 22, 2026 New research suggests that consistent aerobic exercise can help keep your brain biologically younger. Adults who exercised regularly for a year showed brains that appeared nearly a year younger than those who didn’t change their habits. The study ...

Scientists Reverse Alzheimer’s in Mice and Restore Memory

Dec. 24, 2025 Alzheimer’s has long been considered irreversible, but new research challenges that assumption. Scientists discovered that severe drops in the brain’s energy supply help drive the disease—and restoring that balance can reverse damage, even in ...

Scientists Find the Brain’s Hidden Pulse That May Predict Alzheimer’s

Oct. 14, 2025 Researchers at USC have created the first method to noninvasively measure microscopic blood vessel pulses in the human brain. Using advanced 7T MRI, they found these tiny pulsations grow stronger with age and vascular risk, disrupting the brain’s ...

Scientists Reverse Stroke Damage with Stem Cells

Sep. 16, 2025 Scientists in Zurich have shown that stem cell transplants can reverse stroke damage by regenerating neurons, restoring motor functions, and even repairing blood vessels. The breakthrough not only healed mice with stroke-related impairments but also ...

Alzheimer’s Risk May Start at the Brain’s Border, Not Inside It

Aug. 4, 2025 Your brain has its own elite defense team — and new research shows these "guardian" cells might be the real battleground for neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and stroke. Scientists discovered that most genetic risks linked to these ...

Tiny Genetic Switch Found to Control Brain Balance and Behavior

May 26, 2025 Researchers have identified a remarkably small but critical piece of genetic code that helps determine how brain cells connect, communicate, and function. The discovery not only deepens our understanding of how the brain's wiring is built but may ...

PREVENT Equation Accurately Estimated 10-year CVD Risk and Those with Calcium Buildup

May 23, 2025 A new risk calculator accurately identified participants who had calcium buildup in their heart arteries and those who had a higher future heart attack risk, in an analysis of about 7,000 adults in ...

How Serious Is Your Brain Injury? New Criteria Will Reveal More

May 20, 2025 Trauma centers nationwide will begin to test a new approach for assessing traumatic brain injury (TBI) that is expected to lead to more accurate diagnoses and more appropriate treatment and follow-up for patients. The new framework expands the ...

People with Critical Cardiovascular Disease May Benefit from Palliative Care

May 16, 2025 Palliative care is specialized medical care focused on easing symptoms, addressing psychological and spiritual needs, and helping patients and caregivers make critical decisions aligned with their ...

Could a Mini-stroke Leave Lasting Fatigue?

May 14, 2025 A transient ischemic attack, also known as a mini-stroke, is typically defined as a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain that causes symptoms that go away within a day, but a new study finds that people who have this type of stroke may also ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:50am EST

Doctors Test Brain Cell Implants to Restore Movement in Parkinson’s

Feb. 6, 2026 Scientists at Keck Medicine of USC are testing an experimental stem cell therapy that aims to restore the brain’s ability to produce dopamine, the chemical whose loss drives Parkinson’s disease. ...

Scientists Find Hidden Brain Damage Behind Dementia

Oct. 6, 2025 A University of New Mexico scientist is revealing what might be one of the most overlooked causes of dementia — damage in the brain’s tiny blood vessels. Dr. Elaine Bearer has created a new way ...

Link Between Heart Attack Severity and Circadian Rhythm Unveiled

Apr. 23, 2025 The molecular mechanism behind why heart attacks can vary in severity depending on the time of day has been uncovered, potentially paving the way for innovative treatments that align with the natural ...

Sleep Matters: Duration, Timing, Quality and More May Affect Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Apr. 14, 2025 Healthy sleep includes multiple components, such as number of hours of sleep per night, how long it takes to fall asleep, daytime functioning and ...

Cognitive Decline Comes Sooner for People With Heart Failure

Apr. 3, 2025 There are over six million Americans with heart failure who are at greater risk of losing their cognitive abilities earlier in life, a study suggests. Global cognition and executive functioning ...

AI-Powered Mammograms: A New Window Into Heart Health

Mar. 20, 2025 Mammograms, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) models, may reveal much more than cancer, according to a new study. The findings highlight how these important cancer screening tools can ...

Stroke Rehabilitation Drug Repairs Brain Damage

Mar. 19, 2025 A new study has discovered what researchers say is the first drug to fully reproduce the effects of physical stroke rehabilitation in model mice, following from human ...

Cannabis Users Face Substantially Higher Risk of Heart Attack

Mar. 19, 2025 Marijuana is now legal in many places, but is it safe? Two new studies add to mounting evidence that people who use cannabis are more likely to suffer a heart attack than people who do not use the ...

Robotics and Spinal Stimulation Restore Movement in Paralysis

Mar. 13, 2025 Scientists have developed an approach that combines rehabilitation robotics with spinal cord stimulation to restore movement in people with spinal cord injuries. The technology enhances ...

Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers Linked to Improved Recovery from Concussion

Mar. 6, 2025 People who take over-the-counter pain relievers after a concussion may recover faster than those who do not take pain relievers, according to a preliminary ...

New Perspectives for Personalized Therapy of Brain Tumors

Feb. 11, 2025 Scientists have developed an innovative method for growing brain tumors of individual patients in the laboratory that mimic the original structure and the molecular property of the parental tumor as ...

Changing Therapy Practice to Add Higher-Intensity Walking Improves Early Stroke Recovery

Jan. 30, 2025 By integrating 30 minutes a day of progressive walking exercise into standard stroke rehabilitation (30 to 60 minutes of physical therapy five days a week) stroke patients had a measurable improved ...

Regular Dental Flossing May Lower Risk of Stroke from Blood Clots, Irregular Heartbeats

Jan. 30, 2025 People who regularly floss their teeth (one or more times per week) may lower their risk of stroke caused by a blood clot traveling from the heart and a stroke associated with an irregular heartbeat ...

How Your Brain Learns from Rewards Might Hold the Key to Treating Depression

Jan. 22, 2025 Using computational models, the researchers studied how the brain's reward-learning system functions in those with depression, especially among individuals experiencing anhedonia, the inability ...

Study Supports New Blood-Based Biomarker to Detect Early Brain Changes Leading to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

Dec. 18, 2024 To identify and follow blood vessel-related changes in the brain that contribute to cognitive impairment and dementia, researchers and clinicians typically rely on MRI to evaluate ...

Atrial Fibrillation: A Review

Dec. 16, 2024 In the U.S., atrial fibrillation (AF), a heart condition that causes an irregular heartbeat in the upper chambers of the heart, affects up to one in three people in their lifetime. Significant ...

Newfound Mechanism May Explain Why Some Cancer Treatments Boost Risk of Heart Disease

Dec. 2, 2024 A cancer therapy that prompts the body's immune defenses against viruses and bacteria to attack tumors can make patients more vulnerable to heart attack and stroke. A possible explanation for ...

Healing the Gut Can Reduce Long-Term Impact of Stroke

Nov. 26, 2024 Healing the gut may be the key to improving long-term recovery in stroke patients, scientists have found. The latest of multiple studies highlights the potential of this novel avenue of treatment, ...

After a Heart Attack, the Heart Signals to the Brain to Increase Sleep to Promote Healing

Oct. 30, 2024 Study shows how the heart and brain interact to influence sleep patterns and help with ...

New Formation of Neurons from Stem Cell Niche Disrupted After Stroke

Oct. 24, 2024 Researchers studied what happens immediately after a stroke in the stem cell niche known as the subventricular zone, using a mouse model. This revealed a mechanism that results in fewer newborn ...

'Human Mini-Brains' Reveal Autism Biology and Potential Treatments

Oct. 23, 2024 By creating personalized brain 'organoids' in the lab, scientists showed how microRNAs impact brain development, and demonstrate how one drug can reverse critical cellular signs of ...

Scientists Unlock New Insights Into Neural Stem Cell Activation

Oct. 17, 2024 Neuroscientists have uncovered a mechanism that controls the reactivation of neural stem cells, which are crucial for repairing and regenerating brain cells. The research offers exciting potential ...

Which Clot-Busting Drug Is Tied to Better Recovery After Stroke?

Oct. 17, 2024 For people with ischemic stroke, treatment with the clot-busting drug tenecteplase is associated with a slightly higher likelihood of an excellent recovery and reduced disability three months later ...

Heart Failure, Atrial Fibrillation and Coronary Heart Disease Linked to Cognitive Impairment

Oct. 10, 2024 A new American Heart Association scientific statement suggests addressing cardiovascular health earlier in life may reduce the risk of stroke and help preserve thinking and memory later in ...

Metal Exposure Can Increase Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Sep. 18, 2024 Metal exposure from environmental pollution is associated with increased calcium buildup in the coronary arteries at a level comparable to traditional risk factors, according to a new study. The ...

Researchers Develop Nanoparticle Technology for Targeted Diagnosis and Treatment of Atherosclerosis

Sep. 18, 2024 A team developed a nanoparticle technology that offers an effective solution to diagnose and treat atherosclerosis, in a non-invasive manner. Atherosclerosis is the build-up of plaque in the arteries ...

Genetic Risk-Factor Overlap Between Alzheimer's Disease, and All-Cause and Vascular Dementias

Sep. 17, 2024 Medical researchers conducted the largest-ever genome-wide association study of all-cause dementia, finding substantial genetic overlap with vascular ...

Epigenetic Changes Reprogram Astrocytes Into Brain Stem Cells

Sep. 4, 2024 Resting brain stem cells hardly differ from normal astrocytes, which support the nerve cells in the brain. How can almost identical cells perform such different functions? The key lies in the ...

Knowing You Have a Brain Aneurysm May Raise Anxiety Risk, Other Mental Health Conditions

Aug. 26, 2024 Even if the risk is small, the potential of a debilitating brain vessel rupture may be a psychological burden, finds new ...

Blood Platelet Score Detects Previously Unmeasured Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

Aug. 20, 2024 A new study created a score to identify patients with platelet hyperreactivity and risk of related, future cardiovascular ...