In a new study, researchers have developed a new treatment for the most common type of stroke.
The treatment is a nerve stimulation therapy called active nerve cell cluster stimulation. It can increase blood flow in the brain.
The research was led by a UCLA scientist.
In the study, the team examined 1,000 patients at 73 medical centers in 18 countries.
During the study, the electrode actively stimulated the nerve cell cluster four hours a day for five consecutive days.
The new method applies electrical stimulation to nerve cells behind the nose.
This can increase blood flow in the brain by dilating undamaged arteries and bypassing the blockage to treat the threatened region of the brain.
The team found the treatment could reduce the patients’ disability three months after they suffered an ischemic stroke.
The new method is different from the current two therapies for stroke, which open blocked arteries by dissolving or removing a clot.
This method not only could increase blood flow, but also could preserve the blood-brain barrier and prevent brain swelling.
Moreover, it can improve neurons’ ability to compensate for injury and form new connections.
The team suggests the finding can help develop an entirely new treatment for patients with acute ischemic stroke.
The new stimulation treatment can be safe and effective for people who are not eligible for clot-dissolving medication.
Future studies need to examine the effectiveness of the new therapy in patients who also use clot-dissolving medications and clot-retrieving devices.
One author of the study is Dr. Jeffrey Saver, director of the UCLA Comprehensive Stroke Center
The study is published in The Lancet.
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