Loading...
Neuroscientists and neurologists have long tried to develop strategies to protect brain cells from the destructive effects of ischemia. Despite some successes in animals (mostly rodents), nothing has worked in humans. Undaunted, a Canadian team has used a stroke model in monkeys to test a drug that may alleviate the neurotoxicity caused by ischemia.
Twenty monkeys were randomly assigned to receive intravenous infusion of the drug or placebo 1 hour after an experimentally induced stroke. At 30 days, the treated animals had a mean 70% reduction in infarct volume and performed much better on cognitive testing than did animals that received placebo. In a separate study, the drug remained effective even when administered 3 hours after the stroke.…