Stress and Stroke Recovery

Click to go to our Home Page


STRESS AND STROKE

A mouse study shows stress can interfere with recovery from stroke. The study, conducted by researchers in the United States and Australia, focused on rodents in stressful situations and how they responded to stroke. The scientists found stressed mice had lower levels of a protein called Bcl-2. This protein protects brain cells from death during a stroke. On the other hand, stress-free rodents showed higher than normal levels of the protective protein. Next, the researchers conducted tests of mice genetically altered to produce higher than normal levels of the protein. These mice, even when exposed to stress, responded to a stroke in the same way as the stress-free rodents did, that is, their brain cells did not die. The implication is that therapies that stimulate Bcl-2 production might improve chances of stroke recovery, said study author Courtney DeVries of Ohio State University.