Introduction Research scientists rely upon rodent models to help us better understand and test potential treatments for stroke survivors. Although there are limitations in the use of rodents to study human neurological disorders, it is possible to identify and focus…
Introduction Blood biomarkers may improve the diagnostic workup and may facilitate therapeutic decision making in acute stroke patients. This includes the differentiation of “true” stroke patients from stroke mimics, the discrimination between intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and ischemic stroke, the prediction…
Introduction Brain endothelial cells (BECs) that form the blood–brain barrier (BBB) exhibit a unique polarized phenotype characterized by firmly sealed tight junctions, thick and elaborate luminal glycocalyx, and a multitude of transporters and ion pumps responsible for controlled exchange of…
Introduction Although an enormous amount of work has been performed trying to understand the molecular events associated with stroke in animal models, much less has been done assessing the molecular biology of stroke in humans. A number of human studies…
Blood reaches the cortex through larger arterioles, then disperses through the bulk of the tissue through capillaries, and then coalesces back into venules to exit the brain tissue. Much of the gas and nutrient exchange occurs at the capillary level,…
Molecular imaging is defined as the in vivo measurement of biological processes at the cellular and molecular levels . The technique visualizes pathophysiologic processes noninvasively in real time, with the potential for serial monitoring, and provides information regarding specific molecular alterations…
Introduction Neuroimaging methods have become indispensable tools for diagnosis of tissue status and aid in treatment decision making after stroke. Especially magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which allows noninvasive and longitudinal measurement of multiple (early) biomarkers of brain tissue injury, can…
Introduction Although the brain represents only 2% of the total body mass in humans, it accounts for a fifth of the body’s basal O 2 consumption and a quarter of its glucose use. A continuous supply of blood and nutrients…
Acknowledgment Supported by grants to MT from the Canadian Stroke Networks and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. MT is a Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Translational Stroke Research. Introduction The notion that stroke studies in nonhuman primates…
Introduction Convincing evidence supports a link between vascular disease, cognitive impairment and dementia, including Alzheimer disease (AD) . A compromised cerebral vasculature with structural alterations, impaired dilatory capacity, and failure to maintain brain perfusion and adjust flow in response to…