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Cervical artery dissection is a tear in an artery in the neck that provides blood flow to the brain. Such a tear can result in blood clots that cause stroke. A new study has found almost a five-fold increase in the number of U.S. hospitalizations for cervical artery dissection over a 15-year period. The study is published on April 2, 2025, online in Neurology庐, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).

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Recent guidelines have restricted aspirin use for primary cardiovascular disease prevention, with the AHA/ACC restricting it to patients under 70 and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force further restricting it to those under 60, even though heart attack and stroke risks increase with age. Researchers argue they were overly influenced by the flawed ASPREE trial, which failed to provide reliable evidence of aspirin鈥檚 efficacy in the enrolled age groups, and that proper statistical principles must guide trial design, analysis, and interpretation to avoid misleading conclusions.

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South Africa鈥檚 2013 sodium reduction law is lowering blood pressure and improving health. A study by Wits & Harvard found a 10% drop in sodium intake, with stricter limits in processed foods. Even small reductions cut heart disease risk. Experts say more countries should follow suit. #PublicHealth

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Stroke survivors who have attended some level of higher education may face even steeper mental declines, according to a study led by Michigan Medicine. The findings suggest that attending higher education may enable people to retain greater cognitive ability until a critical threshold of brain injury is reached after a stroke.

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Ochsner Health Medical Director for Cardiac Rehabilitation and Preventive Cardiology, Carl J. 鈥淐hip鈥� Lavie, Jr., MD, recently co-authored a groundbreaking research study featured in the prestigious Mayo Clinic Proceedings highlighting the comparative efficacy of lipid-lowering therapies for reducing cardiovascular risks and led by Maciej Banach, MD,PhD from Poland and leader of the International Lipid Expert Panel ( ILEP).

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An imbalance in ligands, which are molecules produced by the body and the gut microbiota, can affect a key receptor protein that plays a role in brain inflammation after stroke, according to researchers at UTHealth Houston, who recently published their preclinical findings in Nature Communications.

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

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A stem cell therapy trial aimed at reducing neuroinflammation in patients with presymptomatic Alzheimer鈥檚 disease is underway at UTHealth Houston.

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A clot-busting drug recently approved to treat acute ischemic strokes (AIS) that can be delivered quickly works as well as a decades-old medication used by most hospitals in the U.S. and could hold significant advantages for some patients, a study led by a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher shows. The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, could encourage more hospitals to use the newer drug, tenecteplase.

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A study published March 6 in The Lancet Regional Health 鈥� Americas highlights a growing divide in cardiovascular health in the U.S., showing that wealth and education play a significant role in heart disease risk.

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Some people living with chronic stress have a higher risk of stroke, according to a study published on March 5, 2025, online in Neurology庐, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study looked at younger adults and found an association between stress and stroke, with no known cause, in female participants, but not male participants. This study does not prove that stress causes stroke; it only shows an association.

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A pivotal study has uncovered that iron orchestrates the activation of two damaging cell death pathways鈥攆erroptosis and necroptosis鈥攅arly in ischemic stroke recovery, exacerbating brain injury. This discovery sheds light on how iron disruption fuels neurological damage, positioning iron regulation as a promising therapeutic target to protect the brain during the critical reperfusion phase.

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A molecule called glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) rose significantly in the blood of patients who underwent high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), a procedure that is used to treat tremors and causes damage similar to a small stroke, UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists discovered in a new study. Their findings, published in Brain Communications, reveal a potential biomarker for stroke and could eventually lead to blood tests that quickly diagnose brain injuries.

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People who get moderate to vigorous physical activity may be less likely to develop dementia, stroke, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders, according to a preliminary study released today, February 27, 2025, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology鈥檚 77th Annual Meeting taking place April 5鈥�9, 2025, in San Diego and online.

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Mount Sinai study demonstrates life-saving benefits of consistent exercise

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Smoking, particularly heavy smoking, is linked to some unexplained strokes in younger adults, mainly in male individuals and in people ages 45 to 49, according to a study published in the February 19, 2025, online issue of Neurology庐 Open Access, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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A new at-home telerehabilitation care service for stroke patients will be offered to residents of Cameron County in the Texas Rio Grande Valley as part of a randomized clinical trial led by researchers from across UTHealth Houston.